The Design of a Microprocessor

This text has been produced for the benefit of students in computer and information science and for experts involved in the design of microprocessors. It deals with the design of complex VLSI chips, specifically microprocessor chip sets. The aim is to provide an overview of the state of the art and to describe specific design know-how. The depth of detail presented goes considerably beyond the level of information usually found in computer science textbooks. The rapidly developing discipline of designing complex VLSI chips, especially microprocessors, requires a significant extension of the state of the art. We are observing the genesis of a new engineering discipline, the design and realization of very complex logical structures, and we are only at the beginning. This discipline is still young and immature, and alternate concepts are still being developed.