Computer Architecture

Computer Architecture - Viewpoint
As a "DSP architect" I never considered Computer Architecture(CA) a major influence on my work. Still, the field is remarkable  by its emphasis on quantitative approach(*) (**) and the number of ideas generated/implemented in the last 30 years.
(*) dixit Hennessy-Patterson
(**) Here quantitative approach is opposed to the "free thinker attitude" of the glorious silicon valley architects.

Computer Architecture - Past, Present, Future
Obviously, the heydays of CA are long gone. First we had the death of the major silicon valley conferences, the end of many CPU architectures, then the confidential reach of Microprocessor Report. Nowadays when the main subject of excitement at Hot Chips is virtual machines you know that the field is in trouble.
Around 1900 one famous Physicist announced that we had found everything in Physics except this little second order detail. The detail happened to be the source of Einstein's relativity.
So by analogy and to be on the safe side, we will announce that we have found everything in Computer Architecture except this little quantitative improvement called "transactional memory".

Computer Architecture - Value Proposition
The point i am trying to make is that you cannot be a very good DSP architect without a serious background in CA. You can be very good at designing one product but not a series of products over time and even less a hierarchy of differentiated products  (such as cores, super cores and chips).
Now, on the other hand, the beauty of customised DSP architecture is by definition to have no past of future. You are designing a point product (tailored to the task).
Still, we will insist. The ignorance of the lessons of 30 years of CA will bite you one day as bitterly as having a mistake in your rounding function. So to fill that gap we will go through a CA check list.

Computer Architecture - Checklist

• Low hanging fruit: Hot Chips conference
• all 25 years+ of conferences are available on the web
• Microprocessor Report and Microprocessor Conferences: 
• were as theirs best during the war years (f86 vs SPARC vs MIPS vs HP ) (1990-2000). 
• After 2000 became more of a SOC conference and a lot more DSPs too, including some interesting Coprocessors. 
• Speaking about Cop, the first Cop was the FPU (Floating Point Unit)
• evolution 8087, 80287, 80387 and opposition to 68881
• The intel i860:  one of the rare "beast" I never had time to analyze in details; 
• genuine Computer Architects put it at the top of the list, so..
• My favorite weirdos
• Intel IAPX 432
• Transputer
• Fairchild F8 
• and others 
• because they tried to implement the SPC (Stored Program Control) model in a different and sometimes radical way. And they were always wrong.
• Transactional memories for the same reason. But in fact I am interested in intelligent memories or using memories as coprocessors
• IRAM
• CAM,
• Multithreading, Reconfigurable Computing, Transmeta patents
• TenSilica and Stretch
• Keep an eye on the latest chips from Intel (including IDF), one never knows
• Not recommended: 
• IEEE computer magazines
• ARM (boring)
• GPU (a world in its own) 

What is a Computer Architecture: My narrow vision
Think of the role of an architect building a BIG house. He knows all possible styles, all the buildings of the world, pyramids, bavarian castles, Gaudi.

For me, it is more a matter of culture than qualitative measures. The analogy with DSP architect is to know all DSPs ever built. 

Also the architect must know the construction structures and which material to use, why and where..
The analogy here is to know your buses and DSP Building blocks.