---
title: "ASIP as compromise processor"
subject: "Embedded System"
chapter: 2
key: "semester_6/embedded_system:asip-compromise-gpp-spp"
source: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_6/embedded_system/asip-compromise-gpp-spp
site: BCT Engineering
---

# ASIP as compromise processor

Embedded System · Chapter 2: Hardware Design Issues

- Asked in: 2079 Asoj, 2 marks
- Video: [Unit No  1 10  Difference Between ASIP & GPP](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MDYITKHaIQ) — @bhitronics
- Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort) on 2026-10-14
- Page: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_6/embedded_system/asip-compromise-gpp-spp
- Whole chapter: https://www.bctengineer.com/md/semester_6/embedded_system/chapter-2

## Question

How does an ASIP serve as a compromise between the general-purpose processor and the single-purpose processor?

## Short answer

An ASIP combines programmability like a GPP with domain-optimized datapath and instructions like an SPP. It achieves higher performance, lower power, and smaller size than a GPP for its domain while retaining more flexibility and lower NRE than a fixed-function SPP.

## Answer

A GPP is flexible but slower and costlier for a given task, while a single-purpose processor (SPP) is fastest and smallest but cannot be reprogrammed. An **ASIP** sits between them: it keeps a program memory and a programmable instruction set (like a GPP, so software can change) but its datapath and instructions are optimised for one application domain (like an SPP). It thus gives better performance, size and power than a GPP for its domain, and more flexibility and lower NRE than an SPP. Examples: DSP and microcontroller.

## Check yourself

The answer's key points as multiple-choice questions, with the correct option and why.

1. Which statement about the GPP and SPP is correct?
   A. GPP is fastest but not reprogrammable; SPP is flexible
   B. GPP is flexible but slower and costlier for a task; SPP is fastest and smallest but not reprogrammable
   C. Both are equally flexible
   D. SPP keeps a program memory; GPP does not
   Answer: B. A GPP trades speed and cost for flexibility, while an SPP is optimised hardware that cannot be reprogrammed. (Key point: GPP vs SPP)

2. Which ASIP property is like a GPP?
   A. It is hard-wired and cannot change
   B. It has no instruction set
   C. It has a program memory and programmable instruction set
   D. It has no datapath
   Answer: C. Like a GPP, an ASIP is programmable through program memory, so software can change. (Key point: GPP-like feature of ASIP)

3. Which ASIP property is like an SPP, giving it better performance than a GPP in its domain?
   A. Generic ALU for all tasks
   B. No on-chip optimisation
   C. Zero NRE cost
   D. Datapath and instructions optimised for one application domain
   Answer: D. Its datapath and instructions are tuned to a domain, giving better speed, size and power than a GPP, with lower NRE than an SPP. (Key point: SPP-like feature of ASIP)

## Related in Embedded System

- [ASIP versus general purpose processor](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_6%2Fembedded_system%3Aasip-vs-gpp) — Embedded System, chapter 2
- [Fibonacci single-purpose processor](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_6%2Fembedded_system%3Aspp-fibonacci) — Embedded System, chapter 2, asked 2×
- [Single-purpose processor for power](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_6%2Fembedded_system%3Aspp-power) — Embedded System, chapter 2, asked 2×
- [Factorial single-purpose processor](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_6%2Fembedded_system%3Aspp-factorial) — Embedded System, chapter 2
- [ASIP vs GPP and processor selection](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_6%2Fembedded_system%3Aasip-vs-gpp-selection-issues) — Embedded System, chapter 2
- [Design LCM single-purpose processor](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_6%2Fembedded_system%3Aspp-lcm-datapath-controller) — Embedded System, chapter 2