Building a RISC-V Processor

In this chapter, we will finally put things together: Based on the combinatorial and sequential circuits from the previous chapters, we will construct a simple processor. After a brief introduction to the basic notions of computer architecture, we will discuss the language understood by a processor: the machine language. In the following, the basic architectural elements of a single-cycle processor will be presented. Wiring up these elements in the right way will allow us to execute different types of instructions: Starting with register-to-register instructions, instructions for memory access will be added subsequently, followed by some more complex instructions. The chapter ends with an overview on the RISC-V assembly language.