Wilkes microprogramming control

E904647

Wilkes microprogramming control is an early and influential control-unit design technique that introduced the concept of microprogramming to simplify and structure the implementation of a computer’s instruction set.

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Statements (45)

Predicate Object
instanceOf computer architecture concept
control-unit design technique
microprogrammed control unit design
appliesTo general-purpose computers
stored-program computers
basedOn sequencing of micro-operations
conceptualizedBy Maurice Wilkes NERFINISHED
contributedTo formalization of control-unit design
widespread adoption of microprogramming
controls execution of machine instructions
enables easier modification of instruction sets
more systematic control design
field computer architecture
computer engineering
goal improve reliability of control units
reduce complexity of control circuitry
hasAbstractionLevel below machine-language instructions
hasProperty early
influential
pioneering microprogramming approach
hasPurpose simplify implementation of instruction sets
structure control-unit design
historicalPeriod early 1950s computer architecture
implements control signal generation via microinstructions
instruction decoding via microcode
influenced IBM System/360 control design NERFINISHED
later microprogrammed CPU designs
minicomputer control units
influencedBy Maurice Wilkes NERFINISHED
introducedConcept microprogramming
keyIdea separate control logic from datapath
treat control as a stored program
namedAfter Maurice Wilkes NERFINISHED
relatedTo control store ROM
hardwired control
microcoded control
replaces hardwired control logic
represents machine instructions as sequences of micro-operations
stores microinstructions in a control memory
supports complex instruction set implementation
uses control store
microinstruction sequencing logic
microinstructions
microprogram counter
microprograms

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Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Maurice Wilkes notableWork Wilkes microprogramming control