Source: https://guthlabs.ai/docs/instruments/cpu-clock-cycle-ipc-performance-calculator/mechanism/

instrument mechanism / verified-clean

# CPU Clock Cycle / IPC Performance Calculator mechanism

The inspectable method record for CPU Clock Cycle / IPC Performance Calculator, kept separate from implementation and qualification.

Status: **VERIFIED_CLEAN**Lifecycle: **verified-clean**

## Model scope

Core formulas are standard, but the specification needs an explicit CPI-versus-IPC input contract, explicit Hz/MHz/GHz unit handling, and an explicit MIPS conversion before it can be verified as unambiguous.

- time=instructions×CPI/clock_rate is the standard execution-time formula when clock_rate is in cycles per second and CPI is cycles per instruction.

- IPS=clock_rate/CPI is the standard throughput formula for average CPI.

- The input specification permits IPC, but no conversion rule is stated. If IPC is supplied, the standard reciprocal relation CPI=1/IPC must be applied under steady-state assumptions; IPC must not be substituted directly into the CPI formulas.

- MIPS is listed as an output, but no explicit conversion formula is given. It should be MIPS=IPS/1000000 when IPS is in decimal instructions per second.

## Units and conventions

- clock_rate is measured in hertz, meaning cycles per second; GHz and MHz must be converted to Hz before calculation.

- instruction_count is a nonnegative count of instructions.

- CPI is measured in cycles per instruction and must be positive.

- IPC is measured in instructions per cycle and, when accepted, is converted using CPI=1/IPC with IPC>0.

- execution time is reported in seconds.

- IPS is reported in decimal instructions per second; MIPS means decimal millions of instructions per second, using 1 MIPS=1000000 instructions per second.

## Inspectable vector

One of 4 source-bound review vectors:

````
{
  "inputs": {
    "clock_rate_hz": 2500000000,
    "instruction_count": 4000000000,
    "CPI": 1.25
  },
  "expected_outputs": {
    "execution_time_seconds": 2,
    "IPS": 2000000000,
    "MIPS": 2000
  },
  "working": "cycles = 4000000000 instructions × 1.25 cycles/instruction = 5000000000 cycles; execution time = 5000000000 cycles ÷ 2500000000 cycles/second = 2 seconds; IPS = 2500000000 cycles/second ÷ 1.25 cycles/instruction = 2000000000 instructions/second; MIPS = 2000000000 ÷ 1000000 = 2000 MIPS."
}
````

## Failure boundary

**BREAK_CLAIMED** · SELF_FLAGGED

CPI=0 produces an undefined IPS result and should be rejected; the input-schema CPI-versus-IPC switch and clock-rate unit convention can also produce drastically different outputs if interpreted incorrectly.

## Other records

[01**Overview**](<https://guthlabs.ai/docs/instruments/cpu-clock-cycle-ipc-performance-calculator/>)[03**Implementation**](<https://guthlabs.ai/docs/instruments/cpu-clock-cycle-ipc-performance-calculator/implementation/>)[04**Qualification**](<https://guthlabs.ai/docs/instruments/cpu-clock-cycle-ipc-performance-calculator/qualification/>)

## Sources and evidence

These pointers bind the page to evidence. They do not grant authority or collapse verification into deployment.

- `VERIFIED_LEDGER.json`

- `evidence-tranche4/tranche4-results.json`

- `BOUNDARY_HAZARD_CATALOG.json`