This course follows the Digital Logic Design course and focuses on the design of the CPU and computer system at the architectural (or functional) level: CPU instruction sets and functional units, data types, control unit design, interrupt handling and DMA, I/O support, memory hierarchy, virtual memory, and buses and bus timing. In contrast, the Digital Logic Design course is primarily concerned with implementation; that is, the combinatorial and sequential circuits which are the building blocks of the functional units.

• Teacher: Melissa Danforth