Preface

Welcome to the second edition of Modern Computer Architecture and Organization. It has been my pleasure to receive a great deal of feedback and comments from readers of the first edition. Of course, I appreciate all input from readers, especially those who bring any errors and omissions to my attention.

This book presents the key technologies and components employed in modern processor and computer architectures and discusses how various architectural decisions result in computer configurations optimized for specific needs.

To understate the situation quite drastically, modern computers are complicated devices. Yet, when viewed in a hierarchical manner, the functions of each level of complexity become clear. We will cover a great many topics in these chapters and will only have space to explore each of them to a limited degree. My goal is to provide a coherent introduction to each important technology and subsystem you might find in a modern computing device and explain its relationship to other system components.

This edition includes updates on technologies that have advanced since the publication of the first edition and adds significant new content in several important areas related to computer architecture. New chapters cover the topics of cybersecurity, blockchain and bitcoin mining, and self-driving vehicle computing architectures.

While the security of computing systems has always been important, recent exploitations of major vulnerabilities in widely used operating systems and applications have resulted in substantial negative impacts felt in countries around the world. These cyberattacks have accentuated the need for computer system designers to incorporate cybersecurity as a foundational element of system architecture.

I will not be providing a lengthy list of references for further reading. The internet is your friend in this regard.

If you can manage to bypass the clamor of political and social media argumentation on the internet, you will find yourself in an enormous, cool, quiet library containing a vast quantity of accumulated human knowledge. Learn to use the advanced features of your favorite search engine. Also, learn to differentiate high-quality information from uninformed opinion. Check multiple sources if you have any doubts about the information you’re finding. Consider the source: if you are looking for information about an Intel processor, search for documentation published by Intel.

By the end of this book, you will have gained a strong grasp of the computer architectures currently used in a wide variety of digital systems. You will also have developed an understanding of the relevant trends in architectural technology currently underway, as well as some possible disruptive advances in the coming years that may drastically influence the architectural development of computing systems.