What does microcode mean?

Definitions for microcode
mi·crocode

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word microcode.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. firmware, microcodenoun

    (computer science) coded instructions that are stored permanently in read-only memory

Wiktionary

  1. microcodenoun

    The collective microprograms in a CPU, used to run machine instructions.

Wikipedia

  1. Microcode

    In processor design, microcode is a technique that interposes a layer of computer organization between the central processing unit (CPU) hardware and the programmer-visible instruction set architecture of a computer. Microcode is a layer of hardware-level instructions that implement higher-level machine code instructions or internal finite-state machine sequencing in many digital processing elements. Microcode is used in general-purpose central processing units, although in current desktop CPUs, it can be a fallback path for cases that the faster hardwired control unit cannot handle.Microcode typically resides in special high-speed memory and translates machine instructions, state machine data, or other input into sequences of detailed circuit-level operations. It separates the machine instructions from the underlying electronics so that instructions can be designed and altered more freely. It also facilitates the building of complex multi-step instructions, while reducing the complexity of computer circuits. Writing microcode is often called microprogramming and the microcode in a particular processor implementation is sometimes called a microprogram. More extensive microcoding allows small and simple microarchitectures to emulate more powerful architectures with wider word length, more execution units and so on, which is a relatively simple way to achieve software compatibility between different products in a processor family. Some hardware vendors, especially IBM/Lenovo, use the term microcode as a synonym for firmware. In that way, all code within a device is termed microcode regardless of it being microcode or machine code; for example, hard disk drives are said to have their microcode updated, though they typically contain both microcode and firmware.

ChatGPT

  1. microcode

    Microcode is a low-level layer of code in a computer's central processing unit (CPU) that interprets and carries out machine-level instructions. It is essentially firmware for the CPU, enabling it to execute more complex high-level instructions. These micro instructions control the CPU at a very fundamental level, determining how it responds to hardware and software instructions.

Wikidata

  1. Microcode

    Microcode is a layer of hardware-level instructions or data structures involved in the implementation of higher level machine code instructions in central processing units, and in the implementation of the internal logic of many channel controllers, disk controllers, network interface controllers, network processors, graphics processing units, and other hardware. It resides in special high-speed memory and translates machine instructions into sequences of detailed circuit-level operations. It helps separate the machine instructions from the underlying electronics so that instructions can be designed and altered more freely. It also makes it feasible to build complex multi-step instructions while still reducing the complexity of the electronic circuitry compared to other methods. Writing microcode is often called microprogramming and the microcode in a particular processor implementation is sometimes called a microprogram. Modern microcode is normally written by an engineer during the processor design phase and stored in a ROM or PLA structure, or a combination of both. However, machines also exist which have some microcode stored in SRAM or flash memory. This is traditionally denoted a "writeable control store" in the context of computers. Complex digital processors may also employ more than one control unit in order to delegate sub-tasks which must be performed asynchronously in parallel. Microcode is generally not visible or changeable by a normal programmer, not even by an assembly programmer. Unlike machine code which often retains some compatibility among different processors in a family, microcode only runs on the exact electronic circuitry for which it is designed, as it constitutes an inherent part of the particular processor design itself.

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of microcode in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of microcode in Pythagorean Numerology is: 4

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"microcode." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/microcode>.

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