KaanCPU: A Custom ISA Processor with Integrated Hardware Level Emulation (HardEMU)

This work presents KaanCPU, a custom processor architecture featuring an integrated hardware-assisted emulation mechanism designed to enable instruction-level execution of foreign instruction sets within a single computing platform. The proposed system introduces HardEMU, a dedicated hardware translation unit that dynamically converts source instructions into native KaanCPU instructions, eliminating the need for software-based interpretation loops. Unlike conventional software-based instruction interpreters, the proposed approach relies on deterministic instruction-level translation combined with buffered execution. Translated instruction sequences are stored in a temporary instruction buffer, allowing native execution without repeated translation overhead. This design preserves architectural flexibility while significantly improving execution throughput compared to purely software-based emulation under identical host conditions. The system is evaluated using a cycle-aware architectural model and a digital hardware prototype implemented in Logisim. Experimental results demonstrate that hardware-assisted instruction-level emulation can achieve substantially higher performance than software-based instruction interpretation, while maintaining general-purpose applicability. The proposed architecture highlights the feasibility of integrating flexible hardware emulation mechanisms directly into processor designs without relying on fixed-function or highly specialized accelerators.