Instruction Set Innovations for the Convey HC-1 Computer

The Convey HC-1 is a heterogeneous computing system based on an industry-standard Intel processor and a proprietary coprocessor that share virtual memory and an instruction stream, creating a hybrid-core computing system. The coprocessor architecture supports user-defined, dynamically loadable instruction sets. Managing the decoding, dispatch, and execution of completely user-defined instructions requires an innovative approach to system design and operation.