noun
- a set of elementary instructions stored in a computer’s control unit that defines how machine language instructions are executed
Usage: computing
Examples
- The processor’s microcode translates complex instructions into simpler operations.
- Engineers updated the microcode to fix a security vulnerability.
- Microcode sits between hardware and software in the computer’s architecture.
- The CPU uses microcode to decode and execute assembly language instructions.
- Modern processors contain thousands of lines of microcode.
- A microcode update can improve processor performance without hardware changes.