Primary
Hardware Register ○꠹｜Definition｜1st｜20251119205401-00-⌔
Hardware register
In digital electronics, a register is a group of memory cells that store a collection of bits and continuously output the stored data.12 It typically consists of a synchronized group of flip-flops in which each flip-flop stores and outputs one bit of the collection.345 The number of bits a register can store, known as its word size, is equal to the number of flip-flops it contains.61 It is volatile memory, meaning that the circuit will cease to retain its stored data upon loss of operating power.6 Registers are characterized in various ways, including by bit storage capacity (e.g., 32-bit register), signal polarities, logic level and power supply voltages, and timing parameters.3
Registers are a fundamental building block of digital systems. They are used in a diverse range of applications, including in central processing units (CPUs) for a variety of purposes; in digital counters and other state machines; in serial and parallel communication; and in device interfaces for functions such as control and configuration, status reporting, and data buffering.
Printed 2026-06-28.
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Link to original Footnotes
Mano, Morris; Ciletti, Michael (2017). Digital Design With an Introduction to the Verilog HDL, VHDL, and SystemVerilog. Pearson. ISBN 978-0134549897. ↩ ↩2
Maini, Anil (2007). Digital Electronics. Wiley. ISBN 978-0470032145. ↩
Brown, Stephen; Vranesic, Zvonko (2009). Fundamentals of Digital Logic with VHDL Design. McGraw Hill. ISBN 978-0073529530. ↩ ↩2
Mano, M. Morris. Digital Logic and Computer Design. Pearson. ISBN 978-0132145107. ↩
Tanenbaum, Andrew; Austin, Todd (2013). Structured Computer Organization. Pearson. ISBN 978-0132916523. ↩
Patterson, David; Hennessy, John. Computer Organization and Design: The Hardware/Software Interface. Morgan Kaufmann. ISBN 978-0123747501. ↩ ↩2
Secondary
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