AlgoPlus//structures / flynn
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Flynn's Taxonomy

Classify a machine by how many instruction and data streams it runs at once.

Class
SISD
Instr × Data
Class
Legend
Control unit (instruction)
Processing unit
Data stream
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In a nutshell
Flynn's taxonomy sorts computers by two questions: how many instruction streams (separate command sequences) and how many data streams (separate pieces of data) it handles at the same time. That gives four boxes: SISD, one of each — a plain single-core CPU; SIMD, one instruction applied to many data at once — GPUs and vector units; MISD, many instructions on one data stream — rare; and MIMD, many of each — multicore CPUs and clusters.
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Flynn classifies machines by how many instruction and data streams run at once: SISD (one each), SIMD (one instruction, many data — GPUs), MISD (rare), and MIMD (many of each — multicore and clusters).
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