In a 4-stage pipeline (Fetch, Decode, Execute, Write-back), if each stage…

2026

In a 4-stage pipeline (Fetch, Decode, Execute, Write-back), if each stage takes 10 ns, what is the throughput after the pipeline is full (instructions per second) ?

  1. A.

    25 million

  2. B.

    50 million

  3. C.

    100 million

  4. D.

    200 million

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Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C

In a 4-stage pipeline, once full, one instruction completes every clock cycle. The clock period equals the longest stage time (10 ns). Throughput = 1 / 10ns = 10^8 instructions per second (100 million).

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