Computer Organization and Design

Computer Organization and Design, Fourth Edition, by David A. Patterson and John L. Hennessy, remains the definitive guide for understanding the principles of modern computer architecture. This edition updates its comprehensive coverage to reflect the industry’s dramatic shift from uniprocessor designs to multicore microprocessors, emphasizing the critical role of parallelism in today’s computing landscape. Using a MIPS processor as its instructional core, the book presents core topics such as hardware technologies, assembly language, computer arithmetic, and pipelining, while also exploring memory hierarchies and input/output systems. Additional discussions on ARM and x86 architectures broaden the perspective on processor designs, highlighting the evolution and diversity of computer systems. Enhanced with fresh examples, detailed case studies, and extensive exercises throughout its 912 pages, this edition provides both theoretical foundations and practical insights. Readers are invited to explore the advancements in parallel computing, examine innovative performance models, and gain a thorough understanding of the technologies shaping contemporary computing.