This course contains a detailed examination of modern computer organization and techniques for microprocessor architecture design. Topics include – CPU design; instruction set design, addressing modes, operands; data flow design: internal bus structure, data flow signals, registers; control sequence design: hardwired control, decoding, microprogramming; architecture classes: CISC, RISC, and DSP; Memory organization; performance. Students must complete a term project that includes design, implementation, and demonstration of a CPU using a hardware descriptive language like VHDL.
