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gem5

gem5.org

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Spec score 7.8 #24 of 39 in Emulator Software

Spec sheet

Purpose
gem5 is a modular platform for computer-system architecture research, covering system-level architecture and processor microarchitecture.Read 3 Oct 2026 · gem5.org
Support
Users can ask questions through GitHub Discussions, Slack, or mailing lists; bug reports should be submitted through GitHub issues.Read 3 Oct 2026 · gem5.org
License
The simulator is released under a Berkeley-style open-source license, with portions derived from other sources subject to their original licenses.Read 3 Oct 2026 · gem5.org
Build platforms
The project tests builds on Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04; it says other Linux-based operating systems can work with the required dependencies installed.Read 3 Oct 2026 · gem5.org
Build requirements
The building guide lists GCC version 10 or later, up to version 13, and says Clang is also supported.Read 3 Oct 2026 · gem5.org
CPU models
gem5 provides four interpretation-based CPU models and a KVM-based CPU model for faster simulation.Read 3 Oct 2026 · gem5.org
GPU model
gem5 includes a NoMali GPU model compatible with the Linux and Android GPU driver stack; it does not produce visual output.Read 3 Oct 2026 · gem5.org
Instruction sets
The about page lists Alpha, ARM, SPARC, MIPS, POWER, RISC-V, and x86 ISA support.Read 3 Oct 2026 · gem5.org
Known support limit
For gem5 v25.0, the documentation says only the listed Ubuntu 22.04/kernel 5.15 and Ubuntu 24.04/kernel 6.8.12 combinations are regularly tested and supported.Read 3 Oct 2026 · gem5.org
Memory modeling
Its event-driven memory system includes caches, crossbars, snoop filters, and a DRAM controller model.Read 3 Oct 2026 · gem5.org
Reproducibility
gem5art provides Python modules for artifacts, reproducibility, and testing, and can store experiment inputs and results in a database.Read 3 Oct 2026 · gem5.org
Simulation modes
gem5 supports full-system simulation and application-only execution using Linux emulation.Read 3 Oct 2026 · gem5.org
SystemC integration
gem5 can run as a thread inside the SystemC event kernel, and provides a wrapper for SystemC Transaction Level Modelling.Read 3 Oct 2026 · gem5.org
Users
The project says gem5 is used in academia, industry research, and teaching.Read 3 Oct 2026 · gem5.org

Plans and prices

gem5 Free Open-source computer-system architecture simulator Read 3 Oct 2026 · gem5.org

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