This course introduces embedded systems, along with fundamental computer organization, assembly language programming, and mixed language programming with C and assembly. Using a modern microcontroller and embedded systems IDE, such as the ARM Cortex-M0+ and Keil Microcontroller Development Kit, the course covers embedded programming concepts and interface modules, as well as addressing methods, machine instructions, assembler directives, macro definitions, code relocatability, subroutine linkage, data structures, I/O programming, exception processing, and interrupts. Program design techniques necessary to write efficient, maintainable device drivers are considered.

The course covers various aspects of advanced uniprocessor computer architecture design. Instruction set architecture design alternatives are discussed with emphasis on the Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC) architecture. Techniques to enhance CPU performance such as pipelined execution optimizations, conditional branch handling techniques, exploitation of instruction-level parallelism, multiple-instruction issue, and dynamic scheduling are studied. Cache, and memory hierarchy design and performance issues are also presented. The design aspects of efficient and reliable input/output systems are also covered. The course concludes with an introduction to concepts of multiprocessor systems design.