Please answer the following question: Information: - A backplane (or "backplane system") is a group of electrical connectors in parallel with each other, so that each pin of each connector is linked to the same relative pin of all the other connectors, forming a computer bus. It is used as a backbone to connect several printed circuit boards together to make up a complete computer system. Backplanes commonly use a printed circuit board, but wire-wrapped backplanes have also been used in minicomputers and high-reliability applications. - A northbridge or host bridge is one of the two chips in the core logic chipset architecture on a PC motherboard , the other being the southbridge . Unlike the southbridge , northbridge is connected directly to the CPU via the frontside bus ( FSB ) and thus responsible for tasks that require the highest performance . The northbridge is usually paired with a southbridge , also known as I / O controller hub . In systems where they are included , these two chips manage communications between the CPU and other parts of the motherboard , and constitute the core logic chipset of the PC motherboard . On older Intel based PCs , the northbridge was also named external memory controller hub ( MCH ) or integrated memory controller hub ( IMCH ) if equipped with an integrated VGA memory controller hub ( MCH ) . Increasingly these functions became integrated into the CPU chip itself , beginning with memory and graphics controllers . For Intel Sandy Bridge and AMD Accelerated Processing Unit processors introduced in 2011 , all of the functions of the northbridge reside on the CPU , while some high - performance CPUs still require northbridge and southbridge chips externally . Separating the different functions into the CPU , northbridge , and southbridge chips was due to the difficulty of integrating all components onto a single chip . In some instances , the northbridge and southbridge functions have been combined onto one die when design complexity and fabrication processes permitted it ; for example , the Nvidia GeForce 320M in the 2010 Macbook Air is a northbridge / southbridge / GPU combo chip . As CPU speeds increased over time , a bottleneck eventually emerged between the processor and the motherboard , due to limitations caused by data transmission between the CPU and its support chipset . Accordingly , starting with the AMD Athlon64 series CPUs ( based on the Opteron ) , a new architecture was used where some functions of the north - and southbridge chips were moved to the CPU . Modern Intel Core processors have the... - A printed circuit board (PCB) mechanically supports and electrically connects electronic components using conductive tracks, pads and other features etched from copper sheets laminated onto a non-conductive substrate. Components capacitors, resistors or active devices are generally soldered on the PCB. Advanced PCBs may contain components embedded in the substrate. - A microprocessor is a computer processor which incorporates the functions of a computer's central processing unit (CPU) on a single integrated circuit (IC), or at most a few integrated circuits. The microprocessor is a multipurpose, clock driven, register based, programmable electronic device which accepts digital or binary data as input, processes it according to instructions stored in its memory, and provides results as output. Microprocessors contain both combinational logic and sequential digital logic. Microprocessors operate on numbers and symbols represented in the binary numeral system. - A central processing unit (CPU) is the electronic circuitry within a computer that carries out the instructions of a computer program by performing the basic arithmetic, logical, control and input/output (I/O) operations specified by the instructions. The computer industry has used the term "central processing unit" at least since the early 1960s. Traditionally, the term "CPU" refers to a processor, more specifically to its processing unit and control unit (CU), distinguishing these core elements of a computer from external components such as main memory and I/O circuitry. - In a computer system, a chipset is a set of electronic components in an integrated circuit that manages the data flow between the processor, memory and peripherals. It is usually found on the motherboard. Chipsets are usually designed to work with a specific family of microprocessors. Because it controls communications between the processor and external devices, the chipset plays a crucial role in determining system performance. - A peripheral is "an ancillary device used to put information into and get information out of the computer". - An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit (also referred to as an IC, a chip, or a microchip) is a set of electronic circuits on one small flat piece (or "chip") of semiconductor material, normally silicon. The integration of large numbers of tiny transistors into a small chip resulted in circuits that are orders of magnitude smaller, cheaper, and faster than those constructed of discrete electronic components. The IC's mass production capability, reliability and building-block approach to circuit design ensured the rapid adoption of standardized ICs in place of designs using discrete transistors. ICs are now used in virtually all electronic equipment and have revolutionized the world of electronics. Computers, mobile phones, and other digital home appliances are now inextricable parts of the structure of modern societies, made possible by the small size and low cost of ICs. - A computer is a device that can be instructed to carry out an arbitrary set of arithmetic or logical operations automatically. The ability of computers to follow a sequence of operations, called a "program", make computers very flexible and useful. Such computers are used as control systems for a very wide variety of industrial and consumer devices. This includes simple special purpose devices like microwave ovens and remote controls, factory devices such as industrial robots and computer assisted design, but also in general purpose devices like personal computers and mobile devices such as smartphones. The Internet is run on computers and it connects millions of other computers. - A microcomputer is a small, relatively inexpensive computer with a microprocessor as its central processing unit (CPU). It includes a microprocessor, memory, and minimal input/output (I/O) circuitry mounted on a single printed circuit board. Microcomputers became popular in the 1970s and 1980s with the advent of increasingly powerful microprocessors. The predecessors to these computers, mainframes and minicomputers, were comparatively much larger and more expensive (though indeed present-day mainframes such as the IBM System z machines use one or more custom microprocessors as their CPUs). Many microcomputers (when equipped with a keyboard and screen for input and output) are also personal computers (in the generic sense). - A motherboard (sometimes alternatively known as the mainboard, system board, baseboard, planar board or logic board, or colloquially, a mobo) is the main printed circuit board (PCB) found in general purpose microcomputers and other expandable systems. It holds and allows communication between many of the crucial electronic components of a system, such as the central processing unit (CPU) and memory, and provides connectors for other peripherals. Unlike a backplane, a motherboard usually contains significant sub-systems such as the central processor, the chipset's input/output and memory controllers, interface connectors, and other components integrated for general purpose use. Given the information above, choose from the list below the object entity that exhibits the relation 'subclass of' with the subject 'northbridge '. Choices: - ability - board - building - bus - central processing unit - chipset - computer - computer program - copper - data - device - equipment - family - general - group - information - integrated circuit - interface - internet - logic - mass - material - memory - microcomputer - microprocessor - numeral - performance - printed circuit board - processor - production - program - sense - set - silicon - structure - system - wire
A:
integrated circuit