Minimal instruction set computer

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Minimal Instruction Set Computer (MISC) is a processor architecture with a very small number of basic operations and corresponding opcodes. Such instruction sets are commonly stack based rather than register based to reduce the size of operand specifiers. Such a stack machine architecture is inherently simpler since all instructions operate on the top-most stack entries. A result of this is a smaller instruction set, a smaller and faster instruction decode unit, and overall faster operation of individual instructions. The disadvantage is that instructions tend to have more sequential dependencies, reducing instruction-level parallelism. MISC architectures have much in common with the Forth programming language and the Java Virtual Machine.

Probably the most commercially successful MISC was the INMOS transputer.

See also

Computer science portal

External links

• Forth MISC chip designs
• seaForth-24 - the next to latest multi-core MISC design from Chuck Moore
• Green Arrays - the latest multi-core MISC design from Chuck Moore
• MISC variants

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