Faculty of Computer and Mathematical

Sciences

Assembly Level Machine

Organization
CHAPTER 3 (B)
CPU Processing Methods

July 3, 2024 CSC159 - COMPUTER ORGANIZATION 1

Faculty of Computer and Mathematical
Sciences

CPU Processing Methods

• In this topic, you will be introduced to the different and
interrelated CPU processing methods.
• The common methods used to increase the
performance of the CPU are:
– Separate Fetch/Execute Unit
– Pipelining
– Superscalar
– Multiprocessing
– RISC
Faculty of Computer and Mathematical
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CPU Processing Methods

• Performance – number of instructions executed in a
given amount of time.
• To increase computer performance, these techniques
are used:
– Separating the fetch unit / execute unit
• Allows independent, concurrent operation of the
two units of the fetch-execute cycle
Faculty of Computer and Mathematical
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CPU Processing Methods

– Overlapping between the fetch-execute cycles of
sequences of instructions (pipelining)
• This reduce the average time needed to complete
an instruction.
– Executing more than one instruction in a clock
cycle (superscalar)
 Faculty of Computer and Mathematical
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CPU Processing Methods

1) Separating the fetch unit/ execute unit
– Previously – instruction cycles are executed one by
one. A new instruction enters the instruction cycle
after the previous instruction has completed
execution.
– In the instruction cycle, two phases are involved –
Fetch phase and Execute phase.
– To increase performance, it is possible to separate
the two phase and perform them concurrently.
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Separate Fetch unit and

Execute Unit

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CPU Processing Methods

• Fetch unit - retrieves and decodes the instructions
– Fetches the instructions in parallel
– Holds them in a buffer until it can be decoded and
executed.
– How many instructions in a buffer?
• Size of instruction
• Width of memory bus
• Size of buffer
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CPU Processing Methods

• Execute unit – performs actual instruction execution
– Contains ALU and a portion of CU
– Identifies and controls the steps that comprise the
execution part of the instruction.
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CPU Processing Methods

2) Overlapping the instruction cycle of instructions.
– fetch the next instruction while executing the
current instruction.
– Concept of pipelining
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Concept of Pipelining
• Example: Laundry
• Ann, Brian, Cathy, Dave
each have one load of clothes A B C D
to wash, dry, and fold
• Washer takes 30 minutes

• Dryer takes 40 minutes

• “Folding” takes 20 minutes

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Without Pipeline Concept

6 PM 7 8 9 10 11 Midnight

Time
30 40 20 30 40 20 30 40 20 30 40 20

Sequential laundry takes 6

hours for 4 loads
A
If they learned pipelining,
how long would laundry
B
take?
C

D
 Faculty of Computer and Mathematical
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Concept of Pipelining
6 PM 7 8 9 10 11 Midnight

Time
T
a 30 40 40 40 40 20
s
 Pipelined laundry takes 3.5 hours for 4 loads
k A
Multiple tasks operating simultaneously
using different resources
O B
r
d C
e
r D
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CPU Processing Methods

3) Executing more than one instruction in a
clock cycle.
– Process more than one instruction per clock
cycle
– Instructions processed in parallel, with an
average rate of more than 1 instruction per
clock cycle through multiple execution units
– Concept of superscalar
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Concept of superscalar
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CPU Processing Methods

4) Increase power of a computer system by
adding more computers.
– 2 or more CPUs may be interconnected to
form a multiprocessing system because:
• Adding additional CPUs is cheap and within
limits
• Programs can be divided & the parts executed
simultaneously on multiple CPUs
– Concept of Multiprocessing
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CPU Processing Methods

• Adding more CPUs is relatively
inexpensive
• 2 different approaches:
– Tightly coupled system
– Loosely coupled system

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CPU Processing Methods

5) Simplify instructions (do less but execute fast).
• Increase the number of register set and increase
internal parallelism using ILP/TLP.
• Uniform instruction format (use single word)  less
coding
• Simple addressing modes
• Few data types in hardware
• Concept of RISC (Reduced Instruction Set
Computer)
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