BCSE412L- Parallel Computing
Faculty Name: Dr. A. ILAVENDHAN
School of Computer Science and Engineering (SCOPE)
Flynn’s Taxonomy
• Flynn's Taxonomy is a classification system for computer
architectures proposed by Michael J. Flynn in 1966.
• It categorizes computer architectures based on the number of
instruction streams and data streams that can be processed
concurrently.
• Flynn's Taxonomy has four categories, each named after a
combination of the terms "instruction" and "data":
Flynn’s Taxonomy
Single Instruction, Single Data (SISD):
•Characteristics:
• Single stream of instructions is executed on a single
stream of data.
• Conventional uniprocessor systems fall into this category.
•Example: Traditional von Neumann architecture.
Flynn’s Taxonomy
• This is the simplest and most
common type of computer
architecture. It is easy to
program and debug and can
handle a wide range of
applications.
• However, it does not offer
significant performance
gains over traditional
computing systems.
Flynn’s Taxonomy
Single Instruction, Multiple Data (SIMD):
•Characteristics:
• Single stream of instructions is broadcasted to multiple
processing elements.
• Each processing element operates on a unique set of data.
•Example: Array processors, vector processors, and some
GPU architectures.
Flynn’s Taxonomy
• This type of architecture is
highly parallel and can offer
significant performance
gains for applications that can
be parallelized.
• However, it requires
specialized hardware and
software and is not well-
suited for applications that
cannot be parallelized.
Flynn’s Taxonomy
Multiple Instruction, Single Data (MISD):
•Characteristics:
• Multiple instruction streams operate on a single stream of
data.
• This category is not commonly implemented in practice.
•Example: Hypothetical and rarely used in practical systems.
Flynn’s Taxonomy
• This type of architecture is
not commonly used in
practice, as it is difficult to
find applications that can be
decomposed into independent
instruction streams.
Flynn’s Taxonomy
Multiple Instruction, Multiple Data (MIMD):
•Characteristics:
• Multiple instruction streams operate on multiple data
streams concurrently.
• Each processor can execute a different set of instructions
on its own set of data.
•Example: Multi-core processors, distributed computing
systems, and clusters.
Flynn’s Taxonomy
• This type of architecture is highly
parallel and can offer significant
performance gains for
applications that can be
parallelized.
• It is well-suited for distributed
computing, parallel processing,
and other high-performance
computing applications.
• However, it requires specialized
hardware and software and can be
challenging to program and debug.
Flynn’s Taxonomy
