< architecture > A computer built using Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) integrated circuits , especially a microcomputer based on a microprocesseor , or a parallel processor containing two to thousands of CPU s.
VLSI made it routine to fabricate an entire CPU, main memory, or similar device with a single integrated circuit that can be mass produced at very low cost. This has resulted in new classes of machines such as personal computers , and high performance parallel processors that contains thousands of CPUs.
(1996-11-22)