CISC

E637384

CISC (Complex Instruction Set Computer) is a type of computer architecture characterized by a large, rich set of instructions that can execute complex operations in a single command, often used to enhance code density and ease of programming.

All labels observed (2)

Label Occurrences
CISC canonical 5
Complex Instruction Set Computer 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf computer architecture
instruction set architecture
aimsTo improve code density
reduce number of instructions per program
simplify assembly language programming
canProvide better code density than RISC
shorter programs in assembly
characterizedBy complex instructions
high code density
instructions that perform multi-step operations
large instruction set
microcoded control
support for complex addressing modes
variable-length instructions
comparedTo Reduced Instruction Set Computer
linked to: RISC architecture
contrastedWith RISC
linked to: RISC architecture
designPhilosophy fewer instructions per program
hardware handles complex operations
emergedIn 1970s
exampleArchitecture Motorola 68000
System/360
linked to: IBM System/360
exampleArchitecture VAX
x86
fullName Complex Instruction Set Computer
linked to: CISC
hasAcronym CISC
historicallyUsedIn early microprocessors
mainframe computers
minicomputers
influencedBy microprogramming techniques
mayInclude complex arithmetic instructions
instructions for procedure calls
stack-oriented instructions
string manipulation instructions
oftenImplements instructions via microcode
optimizationFocus minimizing memory usage
supporting rich instruction semantics
supports complex memory access patterns
high-level language constructs in hardware
tradeOff more complex hardware
more complex instruction decoding logic
potentially lower clock speeds in early designs
typicallyHas complex instruction decoding
instructions with multiple cycles
many addressing modes
usedFor desktop processors
general-purpose computing
server processors
wasDominantIn 1980s

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (6)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

VAX architectureType CISC
ND-100 architectureType CISC
CISC fullName Complex Instruction Set Computer
linked to: CISC
CISC hasAcronym CISC