What is a vCPU?

In practice, a VM receives a defined share of the host processor’s resources, allowing the capacity of a single chip to be distributed among a large number of customers. The user’s operating system, however, recognizes each vCPU as a fully functional processor.

Essentially, a vCPU represents a share of the processing time available from the physical cores of a multicore processor. In many cases—with the exception of heavily loaded applications and highly demanding workloads—this approach enables servers to use their resources far more efficiently than an arrangement in which each user is assigned a dedicated processor core or even an entire chip.