Rechenkern

Rechenkern is a German term used in computer science and electronics to denote the central computation unit of a processor, subsystem, or device. It refers to the hardware and, in some cases, the software abstraction that performs numeric processing, i.e., the arithmetic and data-processing operations required to execute instructions. The Rechenkern is typically associated with the arithmetic logic unit (ALU), the floating-point unit (FPU), registers, and the data paths that connect these components with memory and I/O.

In practice, the Rechenkern can take several forms. It may be a fixed part of a CPU, a separate co-processor, a vector processing unit, or a soft-core implemented in an FPGA. Modern processors often expose multiple execution engines or compute units that serve as Rechenkerns for parallel workloads. In embedded systems, a dedicated Rechenkern is common for tasks such as digital signal processing or other numerically intensive functions. In software contexts, the term can also describe the numerical kernel of an algorithm—the portion of code that carries out the core calculations.

Usage of the term varies with context, but it generally emphasizes the part of a system responsible for calculation rather than control flow or memory access. Related concepts in German literature include Berechnungseinheit (calculation unit) and CPU core.