Book Image

Modern Computer Architecture and Organization

By : Jim Ledin
Book Image

Modern Computer Architecture and Organization

By: Jim Ledin

Overview of this book

Are you a software developer, systems designer, or computer architecture student looking for a methodical introduction to digital device architectures but overwhelmed by their complexity? This book will help you to learn how modern computer systems work, from the lowest level of transistor switching to the macro view of collaborating multiprocessor servers. You'll gain unique insights into the internal behavior of processors that execute the code developed in high-level languages and enable you to design more efficient and scalable software systems. The book will teach you the fundamentals of computer systems including transistors, logic gates, sequential logic, and instruction operations. You will learn details of modern processor architectures and instruction sets including x86, x64, ARM, and RISC-V. You will see how to implement a RISC-V processor in a low-cost FPGA board and how to write a quantum computing program and run it on an actual quantum computer. By the end of this book, you will have a thorough understanding of modern processor and computer architectures and the future directions these architectures are likely to take.
Table of Contents (20 chapters)
1
Section 1: Fundamentals of Computer Architecture
8
Section 2: Processor Architectures and Instruction Sets
14
Section 3: Applications of Computer Architecture

Sequential logic

Digital circuitry that generates outputs based on a combination of current inputs and past inputs is called sequential logic. This is in contrast to combinational logic, in which outputs depend only on the current state of the inputs. When a sequential logic circuit composed of several components operates those components under the control of a shared clock signal, the circuit implements synchronous logic.

The steps involved in the execution of processor instructions take place as a series of discrete operations that consume input in the form of instruction opcodes and data values received from various sources. This activity takes place under the coordination of a master clock signal. The processor maintains internal state information from one clock step to the next, and from one instruction to the next.

Modern complex digital devices, including processors, are almost always implemented as synchronous sequential logic devices. Low-level internal components, such...