Syllabus -

Introduction and fundamental concepts, ISA and MIPS, MIPS architecture, Single-cycle and Multi-cycle CPU, Pipeline architecture, Memory Hierarchy, Exceptions, Caches, Parallelization (instruction level, data level and multi-threading).The officieal syllabus is available in the course Moodle

Schedule - Spring semester 2023

Meeting Date Topic Material Assignment
8/3/23 Beginning of Semester
1

9/3/23
  • Administration and requirements
  • Introduction and Course Overview
  • Fundamental Concepts
    		• Course Administration
    Introduction and Basics 1
    Introduction and Basics 2
    Fundamental Concepts
    2

    16/3/23

    		 ISA Tradeoffs ISA tradeoffs
    ISA tradeoffs and MIPS ISA
    3

    23/3/23
  • MIPS ISA
  • MIPS assembly
    		•  ISA tradeoffs (cont.) and MIPS ISA
    MIPS Architecture - Chapter 6 from H&H
    4

    30/3/23
  • Datapath and Control unit separation
  • Pipeline design
    		•
  • Pipeline design
  • Datapath and Control unit
    		•  Home assignment #1
    no class

    6/4/23

    		 Passover vacation
    5

    13/4/23

    		 Microarchitecture
  • Single-cycle MIPS microarchitecture
  • Multi-cycle MIPS microarchitecture
    		•  Single cycle microarchitecture
    6

    20/4/23
  • Multi Cycle MIPS Control
  • Microprogramming
    		•  Multi-cycle microarchitecture
    7

    27/4/23

    		 Pipelining - part 1
  • Data dependence
    		•  Microprogrammed Microarchitectures and Pipelining I
    8

    4/5/23

    		 Pipelining - part 2
  • data dependence
    		•  Pipelining II Home assignment #2
    9

    11/5/23

    		 Control dependence
  • Branch and Prediction - part 1
    		•  Branch and Prediction I
    10

    18/5/23

    		 Control dependence
  • Branch and Prediction - part 2
    		• Branch and Prediction II
    no class

    25/5/23

    		 Holiday
    11

    1/6/23
  • Precise Exceptions, State Maintenance, State Recovery
  • A review of a few simulation tools
    		•  Exceptions State, Maintenance State and Recovery

     Simulation tools
    12

    8/6/23
  • Out of Order
    		•  Out of Order Execution

         		Home assignment #3
    13

    15/6/23
  • Out of Order (cont') and SIMD architecture
    		•

    SIMD Processors

    no class

    22/6/23

    		 Final projects presentations
    23/6/23 End of Semester
    TBD Final exam, term A
    TBD Final exam, term B

    Grades

    see the official syllabus in the Moodle!

    References

    Recommended text books:
    1) John Hennessy and David Patterson - Computer Architecture.
    5th Edition (MIPS for the present course).
    Computer Architecture

    6th Edition (RISC-V in the near future...).
    Computer Architecture

    2) David Money Harris and Sarah L. Harris, "Digital Design and Computer Architecture", second edition
    Digital Design and Computer Architecture


    This course is heavily based on "18-447 Introduction to Computer Architecture – Spring 2015" by Prof. Onur Mutlu from Carnegie Mellon University.
    Slides and videos are available here. The videos are also available on Youtube.
    Another excellent reference is ELE475 from Princeton University by Prof. David Wentzlaff
    This course is also available on Coursera.

    Reading materials (papers) and home assignments are published at the course Moodle.

    About

    Where: Building 26, hall 4
    When: Thursdays, 6pm-9pm.
    Reception hour: immediately after class.
    Lecturer: Dr. Guy Tel-Zur.
    Contact: guycomputing @ gmail . com