Utasításmemória

Utasításmemória, often translated as instruction memory, is a fundamental component within a computer's central processing unit (CPU). It is a specialized type of memory that exclusively stores the program instructions that the CPU needs to execute. Unlike data memory, which holds the information the program operates on, instruction memory is dedicated to the sequence of commands that define the program's logic and behavior.

The primary function of instruction memory is to hold the machine code generated by a compiler or assembler. When a program is loaded into the computer, its instructions are fetched from main memory (RAM) and placed into this dedicated instruction memory within the CPU. This proximity allows for much faster retrieval of instructions compared to accessing them from RAM, which is crucial for the CPU's high-speed operation.

The CPU's program counter (PC) is intrinsically linked to the instruction memory. The PC holds the memory address of the next instruction to be executed. As the CPU fetches an instruction from the location pointed to by the PC, the PC is then updated to point to the subsequent instruction, thereby enabling the sequential execution of the program. This continuous cycle of fetching and executing instructions from instruction memory is the core of how a computer runs programs. The size and speed of instruction memory are significant factors in a CPU's overall performance.