Computer Organization and Design; The Hardware/Software Interface; ARM® Edition

Specifications

Book Description

The ARM Edition of “Computer Organization and Design” is a comprehensive textbook that delves into the fundamental principles of computer hardware technologies, assembly language, computer arithmetic, memory hierarchies, I/O, and more. It caters to the changing landscape of computing, particularly the post PC era, by focusing on emerging technologies such as mobile computing and the Cloud.

The book covers a subset of the ARMv8 A architecture, which is extensively used in mobile computing devices. It also includes content related to the x86 architecture, which is prominent in cloud computing. By incorporating examples and exercises featuring tablet computers, Cloud infrastructure, and specific processors like the Intel Core i7, ARM Cortex A53, and NVIDIA Fermi GPU, the book ensures practical relevance and real-world context.

An online companion Web site complements the book by providing additional resources for further study. Users can access a free version of the DS 5 Community Edition, a professional-quality tool chain developed by ARM, along with advanced content, appendices, a glossary, references, and recommended reading materials.

One of the notable aspects of the book is its in-depth coverage of parallelism. It explores both parallel hardware and software topics, emphasizing the growing significance of parallel computing in contemporary systems. The book highlights the “Eight Great Ideas” of computer architecture, which include concepts like performance via parallelism, pipelining, prediction, designing for Moore's Law, memory hierarchy, abstraction for simplification, optimizing the common case, and dependability through redundancy.

To illustrate the impact of understanding hardware on software optimization, the book introduces a concrete example called “Going Faster.” This example demonstrates how knowledge of hardware can inspire software optimizations that significantly enhance performance, showcasing improvements of up to 200 times.

In summary, the ARM Edition of “Computer Organization and Design” provides a comprehensive exploration of computer architecture, tailored to the evolving computing landscape. Its focus on mobile computing, Cloud infrastructure, and the ARM and x86 architectures ensures that readers gain practical knowledge and understanding. With its updated content, exercises, and online resources, the book serves as a valuable resource for students, professionals, and enthusiasts interested in computer organization and design.