Building a Simple CPU Simulator in Python: A Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction

In the world of computing, understanding how a CPU (Central Processing Unit) works is fundamental. While modern CPUs are highly complex, you can gain a lot of insight by simulating a simple CPU using Python. This blog will walk you through creating a basic CPU simulator, exploring its architecture, and running a simple program on it.

What You’ll Learn

• Basic CPU architecture
• Implementing a CPU simulator in Python
• Running and debugging a simple program on the simulator

Step 1: Understanding the Basic CPU Architecture

A CPU performs operations based on a set of instructions. Our simple CPU will have:

• Registers: Small storage locations for quick data access. We’ll use four general-purpose registers: R0, R1, R2, and R3.
• Program Counter (PC): Keeps track of the next instruction to execute.
• Memory: Stores instructions and data.
• Instruction Set: Defines the operations the CPU can perform. We’ll support a few basic instructions like MOV, ADD, SUB, LOAD, STORE, JMP, JZ, JNZ, and HLT.

Step 2: Implementing…