IRQ (Interrupt Request) is a hardware signal used by Amiga components to temporarily suspend CPU execution and request immediate processing. On Amiga systems, the Motorola 68000 processor supports seven interrupt priority levels, with custom chips like Paula generating interrupts for audio playback, disk access, and serial communication. When an IRQ occurs, the CPU saves its current state and executes a corresponding interrupt handler routine, enabling real-time multitasking and responsive hardware interaction. The Amiga's interrupt system is managed through a vector table in low memory, with specific autovectors assigned to hardware sources like the vertical blanking interval (VBlank) and Copper.