Programmable Interrupt Controller

A Programmable Interrupt Controller (PIC ) is an integrated circuit for managing multiple hardware interrupts and their orderly transfer to a processor (CPU). Because processors (eg, Intel and AMD processors) often have only one entrance for those interrupt requests. Therefore, a PIC thus operates as a multiplexer for the hardware interrupt. In today's computer designs, he is usually in the southbridge of the motherboard chipset and transmits the information about the interrupt to the CPU on.

For x86 hardware, there are two different PICs:

• (also called XT -PIC or simply " PIC "), the Intel 8259
• The Advanced Programmable Interrupt Controller ( APIC )

The acronym PIC is not to be confused with the PICmicro microcontroller family.