Final answer:
The design foundation on which families of CPUs are built is the concept of microprocessors, which consolidate processing power into a single chip. Examples include Intel's Pentium chips that can execute millions of instructions per second. These CPUs have driven the development of personal computers and supercomputers.
Step-by-step explanation:
The design foundation on which families of CPUs are built is the concept of microprocessors. Microprocessors are integrated circuits developed by companies like Intel, which revolutionized computing by consolidating the processing power of computers into a single chip. For example, Intel's Pentium chips can execute more than 100 million instructions per second. These CPUs have played a crucial role in the development of personal computers and supercomputers, powering devices like the Altair 8800 and the Sunway processors used in China's top-ranked Taihulight supercomputer.