Which memory is directly accessed by CPU?

The memory directly accessed by the CPU for executing instructions and processing data is Primary Memory (RAM). RAM, or Random Access Memory, is a volatile memory that holds currently active programs and data, offering the high speed necessary for the CPU's operations. Its direct connection to the CPU's bus enables rapid read and write access.

• Secondary Memory (HDD) stores data persistently but is too slow for direct CPU execution; data must first be loaded into RAM.
• Cache Memory is indeed directly accessed by the CPU and is even faster than RAM, acting as a small, high-speed buffer for frequently used data from RAM. However, RAM is the primary, larger pool of memory the CPU directly interacts with for active tasks.
• Virtual Memory is a memory management technique that uses secondary storage to simulate more RAM, not a physical memory component directly accessed for execution.