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Growth Paths / ECE 9: Computer Architecture
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ECE 9: Computer Architecture

Instruction sets, building and pipelining a processor, caches, virtual memory and interrupts.

Instruction sets, building and pipelining a processor, caches, virtual memory and interrupts. Free courses and textbooks, a self-check for every unit, and a build you can rerun, confirmed by people. Course 9 of the Varsity Curriculum: Electrical & Computer Engineering.

Part of: Electrical & Computer Eng. · Proves for: UG

1 required outcomes14 weeksCredential on completion

Path outcomes

How this is verified: 7 are checked automatically, then confirmed by one person; 2 are confirmed by people who saw the work.

SkillsOptional

Understand Computer Architecture by Building Below the Language

Computer architecture from the software side (reused from the Computer Science curriculum; optional here).

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3 milestones

  1. 1Understand CPU Pipeline and Memory Hierarchy
  2. 2Study and Implement Cache Behaviour and Virtual Memory
  3. 3Present Architecture Knowledge in a Design Review
Skills

ECE 9: Computer Architecture

Course 9: 3 units and a build.

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4 milestones

  1. 1Instruction sets, assembly, procedures and stacks
  2. 2Building and pipelining a processor
  3. 3Caches, virtual memory and interrupts
  4. 4A pipelined RISC-V core with a passing testbench
SkillsOptional

Learn How Operating Systems Work (OSTEP)

How operating systems work (reused from the Computer Science curriculum; optional practice).

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2 milestones

  1. 1Do the course work in public
  2. 2Finish an OSTEP project

Resources for this path

No affiliate links. No sponsored placements.

Free MIT course: topic videos, slides and a worksheet with answers for each topic.

Free MIT course: lecture notes on pipelining, caches and parallel machines. Extra reading.

The free, open instruction set your processor implements.

Free Verilog simulator for your designs and testbenches.

Free, fast Verilog simulator.