 - PowerPC is a microprocessor architecture that was developed
jointly by Apple, IBM, and Motorola. The PowerPC employs reduced instruction-set computing (RISC). The three developing companies have made the PowerPC architecture an open standard, inviting other companies to build on it.
Developed at IBM, reduced instruction-set computing (RISC) is based on
studies showing that the simplest computer instructions are the
ones most frequently performed. Traditionally, processors have been designed
to accommodate the more complex instructions as well. RISC performs the more
complex instructions using combinations of simple instructions. The timing
for the processor can then be based on simpler and faster operations,
enabling the microprocessor to perform more instructions for a given
clock speed.
The PowerPC architecture provides an alternative to the popular processor
architectures from Intel, including the Pentium. (Microsoft
builds its Windows operating system offerings to run on Intel
processors, and this widely-sold combination is sometimes called
"Wintel".) The PowerPC was first used in IBM's RS/6000 workstation with its Unix-based operating system, AIX, and in Apple Computer's Macintosh personal computers. Today, PowerPC chips are also used in diverse
applications including internetworking equipment,
routers, telecom switches, interactive multimedia, automotive control, and
industrial robotics.
| CONTRIBUTORS: |
Jason Sims and Michael Svensson |
| LAST UPDATED: |
22 Sep 2006
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