Has Computer Architecture Exceeded Its Teach-by Date?

1 School of Computing, University of Teesside, Middlesbrough TS1 3BA, UK, Email: [email protected] Abstract–In 1975 a professor could teach much of the then undergraduate curriculum in computer science. Since then, the discipline has continued to grow at an exponential rate and, today, each of its threads (e.g., algorithmics, AI, operating systems, computer architecture, graphics, formal methods, etc.) probably represents a larger body of knowledge than the whole of computer science in 1975. Because there are still 24 hours in a day and the duration of undergraduate degree courses hasn’t changed in the last two decades, academics constructing CS programs have the agonizing task of deciding what topics to include in the contemporary curriculum – and what material to drop. Computer architecture, a subject area that was once one of the pillars of computer science, is under attack from those who argue that it has outlived its usefulness and could be omitted from the curriculum. Although course-validating bodies continue to regard computer architecture as a core subject, pressure is increasing within some CS departments to downgrade it to make room for new material such as netcentric and web-based computing, and multimedia-based disciplines. This paper examines the issues surrounding the birth, life, and death of this core topic, and explores alternative futures for computer architecture; that is; downgrading, incorporation of its key features in to other parts of the curriculum, and metamorphosis into a new area that better reflects the current state of computing. We concentrate on the notion of metamorphosis and examine how the computer architecture curriculum can be modified to give students a better overview of the relationship between hardware and software; to underpin key concepts in computer science; and to provide a background for students on programs that emphasize some of the more modern offshoots of computer science such as multimedia.