Software-defined Microarchitecture: An Arguably Terrible Idea, But Certainly Not The Worst Idea

James Mickens from Harvard University gave this talk at HiPEAC 2020. “In this presentation, I will describe some of the benefits that would emerge from a new kind of processor that aggressively exposes microarchitectural state and allows it to be programmed. Using elaborate hand gestures and cheap pleas for sympathy, I will explain why my proposals are different than prior “open microarchitecture” ideas like transport-triggered designs.”