Cache Miss

A cache miss occurs when a computer's quick storage area, called a cache, doesn’t have the data the processor needs at that moment. The cache is meant to speed up data access by holding frequently used information. When a miss happens, the system must retrieve the data from a slower, larger storage like the main memory (RAM). This process takes more time, temporarily slowing down performance. Essentially, a cache miss is a short delay caused by the cache being unable to provide the needed data quickly.