CPU architects often want to provide flexibility in what features are implemented in the CPU. One way to provide such flexibility at the instruction set level is to allow co-processors, which are attached to the CPU and implement some of the instructions. For example, floating-point arithmetic was introduced into the Intel architecture by providing separate chips that implemented the floating-point instructions.
To support co-processors, certain opcodes must be reserved in the instruction set for co-processor operations. Because it executes instructions, a co-processor must be tightly coupled to the CPU. When the CPU receives a co-processor instruction, the CPU must activate the co-processor and pass it the relevant instruction. Co-processor instructions can load and store co-processor registers or can perform internal operations. The CPU can suspend execution to wait for the co-processor instruction to finish; it can also take a more superscalar approach and continue executing instructions while waiting for the co-processor to finish.
A CPU may, of course, receive co-processor instructions even when there is no coprocessor attached. Most architectures use illegal instruction traps to handle these situations. The trap handler can detect the co-processor instruction and, for example, execute it in software on the main CPU. Emulating co-processor instructions in software is slower but provides compatibility.
The ARM architecture provides support for up to 16 co-processors. Co-processors are able to perform load and store operations on their own registers. They can also move data between the co-processor registers and main ARM registers.
An example ARM co-processor is the floating-point unit. The unit occupies two co-processor units in the ARM architecture, numbered 1 and 2, but it appears as a single unit to the programmer. It provides eight 80-bit floating-point data registers, floating-point status registers, and an optional floating-point status register.
