The current widespread demand for high performance personal computers and workstations has resulted in a renaissance of computer design. To meet the challenge that this presents to students and professional computer architects, this graduate level text offers an in-depth treatment of the implementation details of memory systems and pipelined processors, the "microarchitecture" of modern computers and microprocessors.

The text explores techniques for solving the design problems inherent in computers with high levels of concurrency, such as the demand for a memory system with low latency and high bandwidth, branching, providing precise interrupts, managing dependencies and insuring coherency. Additionally, it examines the difficulties presented by virtual memory in high performance computers.

As a thorough compendium of both historical and contemporary implementation techniques, this is an essential sourcebook for computer architecture students and practicing professionals.