VIPER microprocessor
Encyclopedia
VIPER is a 32-bit microprocessor
design created by Royal Signals and Radar Establishment
in the 1980s, intended for use in safety-critical systems such as avionics
. It was the first commercial microprocessor design to be formally proven
correct, although there was some controversy surrounding this claim and the definition of proof.
Microprocessor
A microprocessor incorporates the functions of a computer's central processing unit on a single integrated circuit, or at most a few integrated circuits. It is a multipurpose, programmable device that accepts digital data as input, processes it according to instructions stored in its memory, and...
design created by Royal Signals and Radar Establishment
Royal Signals and Radar Establishment
The Royal Signals and Radar Establishment was a scientific research establishment within the Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom, located primarily at Malvern in Worcestershire. It was formed in 1976 in an amalgamation of earlier research establishments including the Royal Radar Establishment...
in the 1980s, intended for use in safety-critical systems such as avionics
Avionics
Avionics are electronic systems used on aircraft, artificial satellites and spacecraft.Avionic systems include communications, navigation, the display and management of multiple systems and the hundreds of systems that are fitted to aircraft to meet individual roles...
. It was the first commercial microprocessor design to be formally proven
Formal proof
A formal proof or derivation is a finite sequence of sentences each of which is an axiom or follows from the preceding sentences in the sequence by a rule of inference. The last sentence in the sequence is a theorem of a formal system...
correct, although there was some controversy surrounding this claim and the definition of proof.
External links
- http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v352/n6335/abs/352467a0.html
- http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA194561