What Is Simultaneous Multithreading? A Basic Definition

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Simultaneous multithreading, abbreviated as SMT, is the process of a CPU splitting each of its physical cores into virtual cores, which are known as threads. This is done in order to increase performance and allow each core to run two instruction streams at once.

This article is part of the Tom's Hardware Glossary.

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Scharon Harding
Scharon Harding
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Scharon Harding has over a decade of experience reporting on technology with a special affinity for gaming peripherals (especially monitors), laptops, and virtual reality. Previously, she covered business technology, including hardware, software, cyber security, cloud, and other IT happenings, at Channelnomics, with bylines at CRN UK.