Welcome to our Graphical-Micro-Architecture-Simulator (BETA version)!

The Graphical Micro-Architecture Simulator is a web browser-based simulator for a subset of the Arm instructions. Specifically, this tool provides the expected execution results for the LEGv8 instructions, which is a subset of Arm®v8-A instructions based on the Computer Organization and Design (Arm Edition) textbook by David A. Patterson & John L. Hennessy. This simulator can be run locally on a PC, and is offered exclusively and at no cost to academics, teaching staff, and learners worldwide.

Note: This tool is currently a BETA version.

• Cross-platform, no installation required.
• Contains a code editor, with a visible and interactive register file.
• Shows visual datapaths similar to those in the Computer Organization and Design (Arm Edition) textbook by David A. Patterson & John L. Hennessy.
• Execution mode:
  • Has ability to step through execution of instructions.
  • Provides expected results (register contents, flags).
  • Contains single-cycle CPU and pipelined CPU view.
  • Highlights datapaths of the CPU that uses a specific instruction.
• Documentation provided.
• Prerequisites: Basics of assembly programming.

To produce learners who can program using Arm instructions and describe the corresponding datapaths involved in a single-cycle or a pipelined CPU. The simulator also provides error messages/feedback for learning purposes.

A fundamental understanding of an Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) is a crucial skill for all aspiring hardware designers and developers. The ISA acts as the interface between hardware and software, specifying what the instruction set can do and how the processor makes use of those instructions - helping developers write more efficient code.

Sometimes, however, students stuggle to understand how the ISA executes complex commands, for instance for the CPU, databus, memory and I/O. This simulator simplifies this interaction by allowing students to visualize the instruction execution, establishing a clear link between the inner architecture of a microprocessor and the instructions required to efficiently execute commands on the hardware.

This tool is currently a BETA version. If there are any issues, please read the Reporting Bugs section in here.

Either clone this repository or download the simulator here.

1. Navigate to /LEGv8_Simulator/war directory and open LEGv8_Simulator using a web browser.
2. Click the Help tab on the top right of the simulator, which contains further documentation on usage.

We welcome any bug fixes, modifications, and contributions to this tool. For more information, please click here.

You are free to fork or clone this material. See LICENSE.md for the complete license.

Arm is committed to making the language we use inclusive, meaningful, and respectful. Our goal is to remove and replace non-inclusive language from our vocabulary to reflect our values and represent our global ecosystem.

Arm is working actively with our partners, standards bodies, and the wider ecosystem to adopt a consistent approach to the use of inclusive language and to eradicate and replace offensive terms. We recognise that this will take time. This tool may contain references to non-inclusive language; it will be updated with newer terms as those terms are agreed and ratified with the wider community. We recognise that some of you will be accustomed to using the previous terms and may not immediately recognise their replacements. We encourage the use of the following terminology where applicable:

• When introducing the architecture, we will use the term ‘Requester’ instead of ‘Master’ and ‘Completer’ instead of ‘Slave’.

Contact us at [email protected] with questions or comments about this tool. You can also report non-inclusive and offensive terminology usage in Arm content at [email protected].