Editing macro-operation

{{title|Macro-Operation (MOP)}}
'''Macro-Operation''' ('''Macro-Ops''' or '''MOP''') is a more complex version of a [[micro-operation]] as handled by the [[microprocessor]]. Macro-Operations have a number of slightly different meanings, depending on the [[microarchitecture]] and designers that's being discussed.

== Overview ==
Although the definition varies by designer, MOPs almost always refer to operations that are considered more complex than the basic operations that are executed by the execution units. In general, they refer to more complex operations that are often decomposed into one or more very simple [[micro-operations]] further down the pipeline.

== Nomenclature ==
MOPs have a number of common meanings among chip designers:

* [[Intel]] refers to the variable-length [[x86]] instructions as ''macro-ops''. In their context, macro-operations are variable length and can be quite complex capable of performing multiple memory and arithmetic operations at once. In AMD's context, those are refered to as actual "[[x86-64|AMD64]] instructions".
* [[AMD]] refers to the a more simplified fixed-length operation as ''macro-ops'' (sometimes also ''Complex-Op'' or ''COPs''). In their context, macro-operations are a fixed-length operation that may be composed of a memory operation and an arithmetic operation. For example, a single MOP can perform a read, modify, and write operation. Another way of describing MOPs is [[x86]] instructions that have undergone a number of transformations to make them fit into a more strict, but still complex, format. In Intel's context, no such concept exist.
* [[ARM Holdings|ARM]] refers to complex instructions that get decomposed into a number of [[µOPs]] that required a number of iterations through the pipeline ''multi-cycle instructions''. Some other complex instructions that get cracked into smaller µOPs can also considered macro-ops, however ARM doesn't explicitly use that term.

== See also ==
* [[macro-operation fusion]]
* [[micro-operation]]