CPU Architecture

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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

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