Python CPU

[Cedric Adjih]

Eugene Leitl wrote:

> Have there been any attempts in creating an ASIC capable of
> interpreting Python opcodes directly? Of course, with
> soon-to-arrive Java chips and JPython there might be not
> that much need for it...

  Well Python opcode is so complex that you will need microcode,
and many microcode instructions for each Python bytecode.

  Fortunatly the computer industry has anticipated the fact that
Python will become the Next Big Language, so they made some
processors so as:
- microcode is downloadable.
- microcode is pipelined (a must for speed).

  Actually, they already made a big architectural optimisation:
they added some microcode cache, so that you wouldn't be
limited by some total microcode memory limit. Instead you
continuously download the microcode for the bytecode ;
except when it is already in the cache.
  Because of program locality, most of the microcode will
end-up in the cache ; so the penalty will be small compared
to downloading the microcode only once ; while the flexibility
will be much higher.
  The good thing is that compilers generating directly
microcode have been released, and Guido has already
managed  to compile Python on one this processors.
  These Python-aware processors are also known as
"RISC microprocessors".

-- Cedric