Computer systems often provide hardware support for isolation mechanisms such as privilege levels, virtual memory, or enclaved execution. Over the past years, several successful software-based side-channel attacks have been developed that break, at least significantly weaken, these offer. Extending a processor with new architectural micro-architectural features brings risk of introducing attack...

Hardware design for high performance computing appears to be reaching its limits on several fronts. In the desktop microprocessor world, clock speeds seem to have reached their peak somewhere below 10 GHz. Power consumption has begun to approach, and in some cases surpass, 100 W. These issues, along with the problems of managing designs of approximately a billion transistors have caused one of ...

The CAPS (Collins Adaptive Processing System) is a family of Rockwell Collins proprietary processors. In a multiyear IR&D effort, Rockwell Collins adapted and developed techniques that allow for formal code verification of the microcode running on members of this family. The motivation for this research was that CAPS microprocessors are used in some of the most safety-critical products that Roc...

The papers in this special section explore cutting edge research on topics that combine artificial intelligence with computing, relating to the design, performance, or application of microprocessors and microcomputers.

Until now, Moore’s prediction that transistor density would double every year has been realized, driven primarily by the thirst for higher performance. However, the traditional approach to the development of superscalar microprocessors, where performance gain was derived largely by increasing the frequency, is failing to meet the performance and power requirements of the next generation of micr...

Until now, Moore’s prediction that transistor density would double every year has been realized, driven primarily by the thirst for higher performance. However, the traditional approach to the development of superscalar microprocessors, where performance gain was derived largely by increasing the frequency, is failing to meet the performance and power requirements of the next generation of micr...