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Pipeline Simulator

CMPT 305

A cycle-by-cycle simulator of a 2-wide, 5-stage processor pipeline, written in C++. It replays real instruction traces of hundreds of megabytes and measures how pipeline depth changes run time.

My role: Simulator core, results
Team: 3 people
When: Spring 2026

View on GitHub

Hardest problem

Getting the hazards right at speed. The simulator tracks data, control and structural hazards every cycle, and the traces were too big to scan from the start each run. I added a sparse index that remembers a file offset every 100,000 lines, so each of the 72 runs jumps straight to its starting instruction.

Bar chart: average run time drops as pipeline depth goes from 1 to 4 on all three traces — RESULTS, 72 RUNS

C++ code for the pipeline stages, hazard flags and sparse trace index — SIMULATOR CORE

C++ · Make · Instruction traces