Processors perform most of the work on a computer. A typical CPU has three stages: the front end (a.k.a. fetch and decode), the execution engine (the part with all the pretty circuits and pipes), and most importantly, memory management logic which separates programs from data so it does not have to be loaded from RAM every time something is executed.
In this case, the answer will focus on core components of a CPU or processing unit]
The processor provides fast access to memory so that an instruction can be complete before another instruction must require data from the main memory for its operation. The average mainframe can have hundreds of these “cores”, each executing instructions in parallel while working within individual pools of data allocated.