Atomic operations are fundamental actions in computing that are completed in a single step without the possibility of interruption. This means that once an atomic operation starts, it runs to completion without being affected by other operations. This property is crucial in multi-threaded environments, where multiple processes may attempt to access shared resources simultaneously. These operations ensure data integrity and consistency, preventing issues like race conditions, where the outcome depends on the sequence of events. Common examples of atomic operations include incrementing a counter or updating a value in a database, often implemented using specific programming constructs or hardware support.