What action does the CPU perform during the execution stage of the instruction cycle?

During the execution stage of the instruction cycle, the CPU performs the action specified by the instruction that has been fetched and decoded. This means that if the instruction requires an arithmetic operation, logical comparison, or any other type of processing, the CPU will carry out that operation during this stage.

This step is crucial because it is where the actual task or computation defined by the instruction takes place. The CPU might, for example, perform calculations, move data from one memory location to another, or manipulate data in various ways as instructed.

The focus of this stage is on executing the commands provided in the program instructions, making it a fundamental component of how the CPU operates to perform tasks efficiently.