CPU Architecture
A CPU Architecture is a computing system architecture that specifies the design, functionality, and implementation of central processing unit (CPU)s,
- Context:
- It can define the instruction set that determines the operations a CPU can perform.
- It can determine how the CPU interacts with other system components, including memory management, input/output operations, and data processing.
- It can influence a computing system's overall performance, power efficiency, and processing capabilities.
- It can be implemented in various forms, such as microprocessors for general-purpose computing, embedded processors for specific applications, and high-performance processors for demanding computational tasks.
- It can (often) involve considerations of semiconductor device fabrication processes to optimize the design for speed, cost, and energy consumption.
- It can adopt different execution paradigms, such as Very Long Instruction Word (VLIW) or Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC), to meet specific design goals and application requirements.
- It can support the development of computing systems ranging from simple microcontrollers to complex servers and supercomputers.
- ...
- Example(s):
- an IA-32 Architecture, Intel's 32-bit architecture, also known as x86. (Introduced in 1985)
- an ARM architecture, known for its power efficiency and widely used in mobile devices and embedded systems. (Released in 1985)
- a MIPS architecture, a RISC architecture developed by MIPS Computer Systems. (Introduced in 1985)
- a SPARC architecture, a RISC architecture developed by Sun Microsystems. (Introduced in 1987)
- a Power Architecture, used in many applications from embedded systems to high-performance computing. (Introduced as Power Architecture in 1991, originally developed as POWER in 1985)
- a PowerPC architecture, a RISC architecture developed by the AIM alliance (Apple, IBM, Motorola) initially for personal computers. (Introduced in 1991)
- an Alpha architecture, a 64-bit RISC architecture developed by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC). (Introduced in 1992)
- a x86-64 Architecture, an extension of the x86 architecture supporting 64-bit computing. (Introduced in 2000)
- a RISC-V architecture, an open standard instruction set architecture (ISA) based on established reduced instruction set computing (RISC) principles. (Introduced in 2010)
- ...
- Counter-Example(s):
- A GPU Architecture, designed primarily for parallel processing of graphics and video but also used for general-purpose computing on graphics processing units (GPGPU).
- A FPGA Architecture, which allows for programmable logic blocks and interconnects to be configured by the customer or designer after manufacturing.
- An ASIC Architecture, custom designed for a specific application without the intent for general-purpose computing.
- See: Semiconductor Fabrication, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Processor (Computing), Computer Hardware, Instruction Set, Very Long Instruction Word, Reduced Instruction Set Computing, Microarchitecture, VHDL, Verilog, Microprocessor.
References
2024
- (Wikipedia, 2024) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Processor_design Retrieved:2024-3-19.
- Processor design is a subfield of computer science and computer engineering (fabrication) that deals with creating a processor, a key component of computer hardware.
The design process involves choosing an instruction set and a certain execution paradigm (e.g. VLIW or RISC) and results in a microarchitecture, which might be described in e.g. VHDL or Verilog. For microprocessor design, this description is then manufactured employing some of the various semiconductor device fabrication processes, resulting in a die which is bonded onto a chip carrier. This chip carrier is then soldered onto, or inserted into a socket on, a printed circuit board (PCB).
The mode of operation of any processor is the execution of lists of instructions. Instructions typically include those to compute or manipulate data values using registers, change or retrieve values in read/write memory, perform relational tests between data values and to control program flow.
Processor designs are often tested and validated on one or several FPGAs before sending the design of the processor to a foundry for semiconductor fabrication.
- Processor design is a subfield of computer science and computer engineering (fabrication) that deals with creating a processor, a key component of computer hardware.