CPU design at the gate level

From: Hans B Pufal <hansp_at_aconit.org>
Date: Mon Nov 5 13:50:10 2001

Greg Ewing wrote:

> How about programming an EPROM with a lookup
> table to emulate an ALU?


Brings back memories of a harebrained idea I was presented with in all
seriousness some 20 years ago. A CPU implemented entirely in a lookup
ROM. All processor state fed in as address bits and the output reset all
the state bits. A really fast processor, capable of any operation in one
clock. Only problem is the size of the ROM for any reasoable state vector.

The rest of the week was spent figuring out how to reduce the ROM size
by factoring out sub systems which were implemented in this way.

Really wierd - and it went nowhere.....

   -- HBP
Received on Mon Nov 05 2001 - 13:50:10 GMT