Instruction Set Processor Specifications for Simulation, Evaluation, and Synthesis

Abstract

Formal descriptions of digital computers have been used traditionally for pedagogical purposes [Barbacci75]. Recent developments however, illustrate that a formal computer description is highly useful in the simulation, evaluation, and synthesis of computers and other digital systems. In this paper we shall review the use of the ISP notation [Bell71, Barbacci76, Barbacci77] at Carnegie-Mellon University. The paper is organized into three sections that deal with the language, its use in the simulation and evaluation of computer architectures, and finally, its use in computer aided design. I this paper we emphasize the commonality between these seemingly disjoint application. The reader is invited to consult the specific references for additional information of any particular subject.