DSP stands for Digital Signal Processors. A DSP is a specialized microprocessor used to efficiently perform calculations on digitized signals converted from the analog field. One of the biggest advantages of DSP is the programmability of the processor, which allows important system parameters to be easily changed to suit the application. DSPs are optimized for digital signal manipulations.

DSPs provide quick sequences of commands such as shift and add, multiply and add. These scripts are common in most math-intensive signal processing applications. DSPs are used in devices where signal processing is important, such as sound cards, modems, mobile phones, high-capacity hard drives, and digital TVs.