CPU Architectures

Question 1

Key features of von neumann?

Answer 1

• shared memory for instructions and data
• instructions and data stored in the same format
• linear FDE cycle
• registers used as fast access to instructions and data

Question 2

Key features of Harvard?

Answer 2

• instructions and data have separate memory units
• each has its own bus
• reading and writing can be done while fetching an instruction
• used by RISC processors

Question 3

Examples of contemporary architectures?

Answer 3

• SIMD, one instruction us carried out on many data items
• MIMD, multiple instructions carried out on multiple data items across several cores
• distributed computing, each computer over a network takes on a part of a process