Pipelining is a technique used in microprocessors(what is microprocessor?) to increase instruction throughput — the number of instructions that can be executed in a given amount of time — by overlapping the execution of multiple instructions.
Analogy: Assembly Line
Think of it like a car factory:
- Instead of building one car at a time from start to finish,
- Different stations (like engine fitting, painting, testing) work simultaneously on different cars.
Likewise, in pipelining:
Different stages of instruction execution are processed in parallel.
Basic Pipeline Stages
Most instruction pipelines have these basic stages (names can vary):
Example: Without vs With Pipelining
In pipelining, a new instruction enters the pipeline every clock cycle, so multiple instructions are being processed at once — each in a different stage.
Advantages of Pipelining
- Higher throughput
- Better CPU performance
- Efficient use of CPU resources
Limitations / Hazards
Solutions include:
Forwarding, stalling, and branch prediction techniques.
Used In:
- 8086 (basic pipelining: Fetch + Execute)
- Modern processors (ARM, x86) with deep pipelines (10+ stages)
- Super-scalar and out-of-order execution
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