von Neumann architecture

COMPUTER ORGANIZATION AND ARCHITECTURE DESIGNING FOR PERFORMANCE NINTH EDITION

3.1 COMPUTER COMPONENTS

As discussed in Chapter 2, virtually all contemporary computer designs are based
on concepts developed by John von Neumann at the Institute for Advanced Studies,
Princeton. Such a design is referred to as the von Neumann architecture and is based
on three key concepts:

• Data and instructions are stored in a single read–write memory.
• The contents of this memory are addressable by location, without regard to
the type of data contained there.
• Execution occurs in a sequential fashion (unless explicitly modified) from one
instruction to the next.