This course is a study of the fundamental concepts in the design and organization of modern computer systems. Topics include computer organization, instruction-set design, processor design, memory system design, timing issues, interrupts, microcoding, and various performance-enhancing parallel techniques such as prefetching, pipelining, branch prediction, superscalar execution, and massive-parallel processing. We also study existing architectures using complex instruction set computer (CISC), reduced instruction set computer (RISC), vector, data parallel, and very long instruction word (VLIW) designs. An extensive lab project encompassing the design and implementation of a new instruction set and central processing unit (CPU) using a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) is required of all students.
Credits: 4
View Tuition InformationTerm
Spring Term 2026
Part of Term
Full Term
Format
Online or On Campus
Credit Status
Graduate, Noncredit, Undergraduate
Section Status
Open