A MIPS-style CPU simulator written in Python that interprets and executes basic assembly-like instructions. It supports arithmetic, branching, memory operations, jump-and-link functionality, cache simulation, and visual output for registers and memory.
- Modular CPU simulator with clear component separation:
InstructionMemory,Memory,Cache, andCPU
- Supports core instructions:
ADD,ADDI,SUB,SLT,BNE,J,JAL,LW,SW,CACHE,HALT - Label parsing for branch targets and control flow
- Instruction dispatch via dynamic dispatch table
- Graphical output of register and memory state using Matplotlib
- Logging support with timestamps and UTF-8 encoding
- Complete test suite to validate simulator behavior
- Exportable memory/register state for verification or teaching
Figure: CPU state visualized after a test run.
cpu_simulator.py # Main simulator code
instruction_input.txt # Instruction input file
cpu_simulator.log # Log file with execution trace
README.md # Project documentation
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Clone the Repository
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/cpu-simulator.git cd cpu-simulator -
Run the Test Suite
python cpu_simulator.py
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View Graphical Output Uncomment the
run_graphical_demo()line at the bottom of the file to generate live Matplotlib charts.
This simulator includes 12+ rigorous test cases:
- Arithmetic correctness
- Branch conditions (taken and not taken)
- Unconditional and label-based jumps
- Invalid inputs and register names
- Cache operations and flush
- Memory alignment enforcement
- Looping with negative offsets
Each test logs results to both the console and a log file.
- Full Blog Post — Background, motivation, and walkthrough
- Project Repository
Built as part of my computer architecture portfolio project to deepen my understanding of instruction flow, caching, and memory interaction.
MIT License — feel free to fork, extend, and build upon it.