microcode
microcode — noun
1. a set of very basic, hard-wired instructions kept inside a computer chip that te
a set of very basic, hard-wired instructions kept inside a computer chip that tells the chip how to carry out each step of a higher-level program.
Kenji spent two weeks rewriting the microcode for the lab's new graphics processor.
common verb: rewrite/update the microcode
A faulty patch to the microcode caused half of the office computers to freeze on Monday morning.
collocation: patch / update the microcode
The chip designer at Intel said that improving the microcode often boosts speed without changing any wires.
Most modern processors ship with microcode that the maker can later update to fix security holes.
Dahlia explained that the microcode sits between the silicon and the operating system, translating each command into tiny circuit-level steps.
- firmware
broader — any low-level software baked into a device; microcode is one specific kind that lives inside a CPU
- microinstructions
the individual steps that together make up the microcode; near-synonym in academic writing
用法筆記
Uncountable; takes singular verb agreement and no article in generic statements (e.g. 'microcode runs below the OS', not 'a microcode'). Frequent verbs: write, patch, update, ship, run.