March 09, 2010
Advanced Microprocessor Concepts
Computer architecture is central to the design of digital systems, because mostdigital systems are, at their core, computers surrounded by varying mixes ofinterfaces to the outside world. It is dif?cult to know at the outset of a project howadvanced architectural concepts may ?gure into a design, because advanceddoes not necessarily mean expensive or complex. Many technologies that wereoriginally developed for high-end supercomputers and mainframes eventuallyfound their way into consumer electronics and other less-expensive digital systems.This is why a digital engineer bene- ?ts from a broad understanding of advancedmicroprocessor and computing concepts a wider palette of potential solutionsenables a more creative and effective design process.
This chapter introduces a wide range of technologies that are alluded to in manytechnical speci?- cations but are often not understood suf?ciently to take fulladvantage of their potential. What is a 200-MHz superscalar RISC processorwith a four-way set associative cache? Some people hear the term RISC andconjure up thoughts of high-performance computing. Such imagery is notincorrect, but RISC technology can also be purchased for less than one dollar.Caching is another big computer term that is more common than many peoplethink.
An important theme to keep in mind is that microprocessors and the systemsthat they plug into are inextricably interrelated, and more so than simply byvirtue of their common physical surround- ings. The architecture of onedirectly in?uences the capabilities of the other. For this reason, the two needto be considered simultaneously during the design process. Among manyother factors, this makes computer design an iterative process. One maybegin with an assumption of the type of mi- croprocessor required andthen use this information to in?uence the broader system architecture.
When system-level constraints and capabilities begin to come into focus,they feed back to the microprocessor requirements, possibly altering themsomewhat. This cycle can continue for several iterations until a design isrealized in which the microprocessor and its supporting peripherals arewell matched for the application.
This chapter introduces a wide range of technologies that are alluded to in manytechnical speci?- cations but are often not understood suf?ciently to take fulladvantage of their potential. What is a 200-MHz superscalar RISC processorwith a four-way set associative cache? Some people hear the term RISC andconjure up thoughts of high-performance computing. Such imagery is notincorrect, but RISC technology can also be purchased for less than one dollar.Caching is another big computer term that is more common than many peoplethink.
An important theme to keep in mind is that microprocessors and the systemsthat they plug into are inextricably interrelated, and more so than simply byvirtue of their common physical surround- ings. The architecture of onedirectly in?uences the capabilities of the other. For this reason, the two needto be considered simultaneously during the design process. Among manyother factors, this makes computer design an iterative process. One maybegin with an assumption of the type of mi- croprocessor required andthen use this information to in?uence the broader system architecture.
When system-level constraints and capabilities begin to come into focus,they feed back to the microprocessor requirements, possibly altering themsomewhat. This cycle can continue for several iterations until a design isrealized in which the microprocessor and its supporting peripherals arewell matched for the application.
By : E-book Complete_Digital_Design
