Design with Operation of Modern Computer Systems

This course provides a thorough understanding of the fundamental principles and practical aspects of Design and Operation of Modern Computer Systems. It explores how computer systems are structured and how they execute instructions at various levels of abstraction—from digital logic up to the instruction set architecture. The course focuses on the design and functionality of the hardware components that form the basis of modern computing systems.

Topics include number systems and data representation, instruction set design, central processing unit organization, memory hierarchy (cache, Random Access Memory, virtual memory), input/output systems, control unit design, pipelining, parallelism, and an introduction to advanced architectures like Reduced Instruction Set Computer, Complex Instruction Set Computer, superscalar, and multicore systems. With Pipelining, The speed of the controller will get increased. This means that the performance of the controller is improved. If the number of stages in the instruction is increased, the performance will be much better. But at the same time, the complexity of the system will be more. The cache memory will be used to increase the speed with which the data can be accessed. Getting the data from main memory always may degrade the performance of the controller. It is because most of the time is spent in accessing the data. Thus, using cache also automatically improves the performance of the controller system.

Students will also study how these architectural decisions impact performance, energy efficiency, and the interaction between hardware and software.

Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

• Explain the architecture and organization of modern computer systems.

• Describe the operation of central processing units, memory systems, and input or output devices.

• Analyse instruction sets and design simple assembly programs.

• Understand pipelining, hazards, and performance optimization techniques.

• Design and simulate basic digital systems using hardware description tools.

• Evaluate the trade-offs between different architectural choices.

• Understand the impact of emerging trends like multicore processors and parallel architectures.

Prerequisites:

Basic knowledge of digital logic design and programming in a high-level language.

Key Topics Covered:

• Number systems, binary arithmetic, and data representation

• Instruction set architecture

• Central processing unit architecture and datapath design

• Memory systems: cache, main memory, and virtual memory

• Input/Output organization and data transfer mechanisms

• Pipelining: stages, hazards, and solutions

• Reduced Instruction Set Computer vs. Complex Instruction Set Computer architectures

• Introduction to multicore and parallel processing