Processor architecture/instruction set (refer to

processor architecture

Four major architectures of computer CPU

The CPU architecture is a specification for the CPU, the main purpose is to distinguish the important marks of different types of CPUs.
At present, there are two main camps in the classification of CPUs on the market, one is the complex instruction set CPU headed by intel and AMD, and the other is the reduced instruction set CPU headed by IBM and ARM. Two different brands of CPUs have different product architectures. For example, Intel and AMD's CPUs are based on the X86 architecture, while IBM's CPU is based on the PowerPC architecture, and ARM's is based on the ARM architecture.

ARM series

The ARM architecture, formerly known as Advanced RISC Machine (Advanced RISC Machine, earlier known as: Acorn RISC Machine), is a 32-bit reduced instruction set (RISC) processor architecture, reduced instruction set computer (RISC).
It is widely used in many embedded system designs. Due to its energy-saving features, ARM processors are very suitable for mobile communications, in line with its main design goal of low power consumption.

Today, the ARM family accounts for 75% of all 32-bit embedded processors, making it one of the most 32-bit architectures in the world. ARM processors can be found in many consumer electronics products, from portable devices (PDAs, mobile phones, multimedia players, handheld video games, and computers) to computer peripherals (hard drives, desktop routers) and even He exists in military facilities such as missile on-board computers. There are also derivatives based on ARM designs, notably Marvell's XScale architecture and Texas Instruments' OMAP family.

Advantages: low price; low energy consumption;

ARM licensing method: ARM itself does not rely on its own design to manufacture or sell CPUs, but licenses the processor architecture to interested manufacturers . ARM offers a variety of licensing terms, including items such as price and dissemination. For licensors, ARM provides an integrated hardware description of the ARM core, including complete software development tools (compiler, debugger, SDK), and sales rights for the silicon chip containing the ARM CPU. For fabless licensors looking to incorporate ARM cores into their homegrown chip designs, this is usually just a matter of obtaining a production-ready Intellectual Property Core (IP Core) certification. For these customers, ARM releases gate schematics of selected ARM cores, along with abstract simulation models and test programs, to assist in design integration and verification. Customers with more needs, including integrated device manufacturers (IDMs) and foundries, choose synthesizable RTL (Register Transfer Level, such as Verilog) form to obtain the intellectual property (IP) of the processor. With integrated RTL, customers have the ability to optimize and enhance the architecture. This approach allows designers to achieve additional design goals (such as high oscillator frequency, low power consumption, instruction set extension, etc.) without being limited by immutable circuit diagrams. Although ARM does not authorize the licensor to resell the ARM architecture itself, the licensor is free to sell articles (such as chip components, evaluation boards, complete systems, etc.). Merchant fabs are special cases because not only do they license the sale of finished silicon containing ARM cores, but they usually reserve the right to remake the ARM cores for other customers as well.

Manufacturer: TI (Texas Instruments)/Samsung (Samsung)/Freescale (Freescale)/Marvell (Marvel)/Nvidia (NVIDIA)

x86 series

xx86 or 80x86 is a general term for a microprocessor architecture first developed and manufactured by Intel.

The x86 architecture is CISC (Complex Instruction Set Computer, Complex Instruction Set Computer) with variable instruction length.

MIPS series

MIPS is a very popular RISC processor in the world. MIPS means "Microprocessor without interlocked piped stages" (Microprocessor without interlocked piped stages), its mechanism is to use software methods to avoid data-related problems in the pipeline as much as possible. It was first developed in the early 1980s by a research group led by Professor Hennessy at Stanford University. The R series of MIPS is the microprocessor of RISC industrial products developed on this basis. These series of products are used by many computer companies to form various workstations and computer systems.

MIPS Technology Corporation is a well-known chip design company in the United States, which uses the Reduced Instruction System Computing Architecture (RISC) to design chips. Compared with the complex instruction system computing structure (CISC) adopted by Intel, RISC has the advantages of simpler design and shorter design cycle, and can apply more advanced technologies to develop faster next-generation processors. MIPS is one of the earliest commercial RISC architecture chips. The new architecture integrates all the original MIPS instruction sets and adds many more powerful functions. MIPS only designs the CPU itself, and then authorizes the design scheme to customers, so that customers can manufacture high-performance CPUs.

In 1984, MIPS Computer Company was established and began to design RISC processors;

In 1986, the R2000 processor was introduced.

In 1992, SGI acquired MIPS Computer Corporation.

In 1988, the R3000 processor was launched.

The R4000, the first 64-bit commercial microprocessor, was launched in 1991; later, R8000 (in 1994), R10000 (in 1996) and R12000 (in 1997) and other models were successively launched.

In 1998, MIPS broke away from SGI and became MIPS Technology Corporation; subsequently, MIPS Corporation's strategy changed to focus on embedded systems; 1998 - MIPS Technology stock was publicly listed on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange in the United States.

In 1999, MIPS released the MIPS32 and MIPS64 architecture standards, which laid the foundation for the development of future MIPS processors. The new architecture integrates all the original NIPS instruction sets and adds many more powerful functions. MIPS has successively developed a high-performance, low-power 32-bit processor core (core) MIPS324Kc and a high-performance 64-bit processor core MIPS64 5Kc.

In 2000, MIPS released versions for the MIPS32 4Kc and 64-bit MIPS 64 20Kc processor cores.

August 16, 2007 - MIPS Technology announced that the Loongson central processor of the Institute of Computer Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences has obtained all patents of its processor IP and the authorization of buses and instruction sets .

December 20, 2007 - MIPS Technologies announced that ALi Technology has obtained the authorization of its customizable system-on-a-chip (SoC) core "MIPS32 24KEc Pro" designed for advanced multimedia.

PowerPC series

PowerPC is a central processing unit (CPU) with a reduced instruction set (RISC) architecture, and its basic design is derived from IBM (International Business Machines Corporation)'s IBM PowerPC 601 microprocessor POWER (Performance Optimized With Enhanced RISC; "IBM Connect Electronic Newsletter, August 2007, translated as "enhanced RISC performance optimization") architecture. In the 1990s, IBM (International Business Machines Corporation), Apple (Apple) and Motorola (Motorola) successfully developed PowerPC chips and manufactured PowerPC-based multiprocessor computers. The PowerPC architecture is characterized by good scalability, convenience and flexibility.

PowerPC processors come in a wide range of implementations, from high-end server CPUs like the Power4 to the embedded CPU market (Nintendo Gamecube uses PowerPC). The PowerPC processor has a very strong embedded performance because of its excellent performance, low power consumption and low heat dissipation. Apart from integrated I/O like serial and Ethernet controllers, this embedded processor differs quite significantly from a "desktop" CPU.