AI engineering glossary · Computing foundations
What is ISA (instruction set architecture)?
Instruction set architecture (also called ISA): The contract between software and a processor: the list of machine instructions, registers and memory-addressing rules that programs can use. Compilers target an ISA, so binaries built for one (such as x86-64) do not run natively on another (such as ARM) without translation.
Instruction set architecture: an example
A Linux program compiled for x86-64 will not run directly on an ARM-based cloud server; it must be recompiled for ARM.
Related terms
More Computing foundations terms
- Integer overflow
- Inter-process communication
- Interpreter
- IP address
- IPv6
- Kernel
- Kilobyte and megabyte
- Latency
Where you learn it
Instruction set architecture is part of the AI Engineering Program, which teaches it with notes, a hands-on lab and an exam. The first lesson is free.