ICS 431: Computer Architecture

Description: Memory management, control flow, interrupt mechanisms, multiprocessor systems, special-purpose devices.

Objectives: - Students have a solid understanding of the fundamentals in computer architectures. - Students can implement simple computer architectures and their submodules. - Students can simulate simple computer architectures. - Students can quantitatively evaluate simple computer designs and their sub-modules. - Students can relate computer architecture to system software and the performance of application programs.

Program Learning Outcomes

Prerequisites: 331 or EE 361/361L.

Textbook(s): S. M. Mueller & W. J. Paul, Computer Architecture - Complexity&Correctness, ISBN 3-540-67481-0, Springer Verlag, 2000.

John P. Shen & Mikko H. Lipasti, Modern Processor Design, ISBN 0-07-057064-7, McGraw Hill, 2005.

Grading: Projects (40%), Homeworks (35%), Exams (25%)

Schedule: Computer Performance, Quantitative Evaluation, Instruction Set Architectures, Pipelining, Interrupts, Memory Hierarchies, Speculative Execution, Simulation and Verification.