Final answer:
A multi-core processor is a new kind of processor with two or more independent CPUs, enabling parallel processing and efficiency improvements. Examples include Intel's Xeon CPUs in supercomputers and China's Sunway CPUs in the "Taihulight" supercomputer with 260 cores.
Step-by-step explanation:
A new type of processor that can provide two or more separate and independent CPUs is known as a multi-core processor. These processors contain multiple processing units, called cores, which can run at the same time to perform different tasks. This is in contrast to a single-core processor, which has only one central processing unit (CPU). Multi-core processors can be found in various computing devices, from personal computers to powerful supercomputers.
For example, Intel's Xeon CPUs, which have been used in many of the world's fastest supercomputers, including the #2 machine on the Top 500 Supercomputers list from 2013 to 2016, are multi-core processors. The Pentium chips referenced, each from a 6-inch wafer and capable of executing more than 100 million instructions per second, were a significant advancement in microprocessor technology, combining many transistors into a single silicon chip. These advancements have led to faster computation, lower power consumption, smaller physical size, and lower production costs.
China's Sunway CPUs, which are based on a new architecture and instruction set completed in 2016, showcase the extreme scale to which multi-core technology can be pushed, with the "Taihulight" supercomputer running at up to 125.44 petaflops using these processors with reportedly 260 cores.