Computer Architecture - Syntax, Semantics, and Segfaults

Computer Architecture

Memory Locality in the Age of Virtualization: Optimizing Database Performance in Hidden NUMA Topologies

1. Introduction Modern cloud infrastructure presents a fascinating paradox: as we advance toward more sophisticated hardware architectures, virtualization increasingly obscures these same architectures from the software running within virtual machines. This phenomenon is particularly evident in Non-Uniform Memory Access (NUMA) systems, where memory access times depend on the memory location

Computer Architecture

Bridging Computing Eras: A 64-bit Extension of the 8086 Architecture

1. Introduction The evolution of computer architectures represents one of the most fascinating chapters in computing history. While modern processors have embraced radical design changes to achieve unprecedented performance, there remains significant educational and research value in understanding the architectural foundations upon which they were built. My childhood memories of

Computer Architecture

The Theoretical Foundations of Virtualization-Aware Branch Prediction

1. Introduction The ubiquity of virtualization in modern computing infrastructure presents unique challenges to processor microarchitecture design. One particularly interesting phenomenon is the performance gap between native execution and virtualized environments, which persists despite substantial hardware assistance for virtualization. This essay explores the theoretical foundations of branch prediction in virtualized