What is swap space used for?

Swap space is utilized as a part of virtual memory management in an operating system. When the physical RAM (Random Access Memory) is insufficient to hold all the data or applications that are currently in use, the system can use swap space to extend this memory capability. This swap space is typically located on the hard drive or SSD, allowing the operating system to temporarily store data that would usually reside in RAM.

The concept behind swap space is to ensure that when RAM is fully utilized, the operating system can offload some of the less frequently accessed data to this dedicated disk space. This process allows for smoother multitasking and better overall system performance, as it prevents applications from crashing due to a lack of available memory.

While the other options relate to aspects of computer performance, they do not accurately describe the primary function of swap space. Enhancing CPU processing speed relates to performance improvements in processing tasks, but it doesn't involve swap space directly. Similarly, increasing the size of RAM is not something that swap space accomplishes; rather, it acts as an overflow area when RAM is at capacity. Lastly, while I/O operations are essential for transferring data to and from storage, swap space itself is specifically for managing memory needs rather than directly facilitating completed I/O tasks.