floating point unit (CPU) (FPU)

A floating point unit (FPU) or numerical processing unit( NPU) is an arithmetic processor that works as a coprocessor for the central processing unit( CPU) and performs floating point operations.

The coprocessor takes over floating-point calculations from the central processing unit and can thus significantly increase the computing speed for mathematical and graphical calculations.

Typical floating-point units are the Intel 8087, 80287 and 80387 chips. In modern microprocessors, the floating-point units (FPU) are located on the chip with the CPU.