Abstract: A microcomputer array and method having a hyper-scalable, real-time monitoring and debug architecture in which several microcomputers are cascaded together into a single, more powerful unit. A cascaded instruction pipeline and related control circuitry allow a plurality of subprocessors or “proto-processors” to be cascaded with the instruction pipeline of a head processor or “nucleus processor” thereby creating an array of processors. The proto-processors may operate independently performing peripheral functions until a cascaded instruction takes priority and causes one or more proto-processors to perform the cascaded instruction and send the results to the nucleus processor. The processors may be microcomputers or Digital Signal Processors (DSPs).