Computer architectureLesson 2 of 5 in the course Instruction set architectures

RISC Design: Principles, History, Technical Features, and Applications

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

This lesson introduces the reduced instruction set computer (RISC), its central design goal, and how it handles operations and memory.

A reduced instruction set computer (RISC) is a computer architecture designed around relatively simple instructions. Typically, each instruction performs a limited task, such as adding two register values or transferring data between memory and a register.

All flashcards

What is a RISC architecture?
A processor design that uses relatively simple instructions, typically limiting the work performed by each individual instruction.
What is a load–store architecture?
A design in which load and store instructions transfer data between memory and registers, while arithmetic and tests operate on register values.
What is a register?
A small, high-speed storage location inside the processor used to hold data and operands for operations.
What does a load instruction do?
It copies data from main memory into a processor register.
What is the RISC trade-off compared with CISC?
A RISC program may need more simple instructions for a task, while the simpler operations can be easier to execute quickly and pipeline.

Quiz questions

  1. What did IBM researchers find when they studied customer workloads for the IBM 801 project?Answer: Programs often used registers extensively, while compilers made little use of many complex instructions and addressing modes.
  2. How do register windows help speed procedure calls in some RISC designs?Answer: A call can switch to another portion of a larger register set instead of saving and restoring values one at a time.
  3. Why can predictable positions for opcode and register fields simplify instruction decoding?Answer: The processor can find those fields in consistent locations across instructions.
  4. What distinguishes RISC-V from a proprietary instruction set architecture?Answer: RISC-V is an open standard instruction set architecture.
  5. What is the relationship between an instruction set architecture (ISA) and a processor implementation?Answer: The ISA defines operations visible to software, while an implementation realizes that architecture in hardware.

Based on the Wikipedia article Reduced instruction set computer, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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