Advanced Embedded Computer Architecture

This graduate-level course, EMB 501, delves into the advanced architectural concepts critical for high-performance embedded systems design. Students will gain a deep understanding of modern processor pipelines, cache coherence mechanisms, and sophisticated memory hierarchies, exploring their impact on real-time performance and power efficiency. The course emphasizes the practical implications of these architectural choices in resource-constrained environments. Furthermore, the curriculum covers industry-standard bus fabrics like AMBA/AXI for efficient inter-component communication, and examines the complexities of multicore microcontrollers. A significant portion of the course is dedicated to performance measurement, profiling, and tuning techniques specifically tailored for embedded targets, enabling students to optimize system throughput and responsiveness.

Course outline

Lectures, virtual labs, and graded assignments — completed in your browser.

01Foundations of Embedded Computer Architecturelecture

02Pipelined Processor Design and Optimizationlecture

03Cache Memory Principles and Coherencelecture

04Memory Hierarchy and Performance Impactlecture

05Virtual Memory and Memory Management Unitslecture

06AMBA AXI Bus Fabric Architecturelecture

07System-on-Chip Interconnectslecture

08Multicore Microcontroller Architectureslecture

09Multicore Synchronization and Communicationlecture

10Embedded System Performance Metricslecture

11Profiling and Debugging Embedded Performancelecture

12Performance Tuning Strategieslecture

13Power Optimization in Embedded Systemslecture

14Advanced Topics and Case Studieslecture

Syllabus

Week 1: Introduction to Advanced Embedded Architectures
Week 2: Processor Pipelining and Instruction-Level Parallelism
Week 3: Cache Memory Design and Performance Analysis
Week 4: Advanced Memory Hierarchies and Virtual Memory
Week 5: Memory Management Units (MMUs) and Protection
Week 6: Bus Fabrics: AMBA AXI Protocol Deep Dive
Week 7: Interconnects and System-on-Chip (SoC) Design
Week 8: Multicore Microcontrollers: Architectures and Synchronization
Week 9: Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOS) and Multicore Scheduling
Week 10: Performance Measurement and Profiling Tools
Week 11: Performance Tuning Techniques for Embedded Targets
Week 12: Power Management and Energy Efficiency in Embedded Systems
Week 13: Hardware Accelerators and Custom Logic Integration
Week 14: Final Project Presentations and Advanced Topics