Description: The program counter (PC) is a fundamental register in computer architectures that stores the address of the next instruction to be executed in the control flow of a program. This register is crucial for the functioning of the CPU, as it allows the control unit to access instructions in memory sequentially or according to conditional and unconditional jumps. The program counter is automatically incremented after each executed instruction unless it encounters a jump instruction, in which case the PC’s value is updated with the new specified address. This feature allows the PC to be a dynamic element that reflects the current state of program execution. Furthermore, the design of various instruction set architectures (ISAs) enables the program counter to be efficiently integrated with other system features, such as interrupt management and parallel instruction execution. The simplicity and clarity of PC handling contribute to its popularity in education and research on computer architectures, facilitating the understanding of complex concepts in computer system design.
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