List of CPU architectures

The following is a list of notable CPU architectures.

All computers run using very low-level commands which do some very basic functions, such as reading data, writing data, jumping to addresses, and calculating basic arithmetic. (The complete list of commands that can be run by a CPU is known as that computer’s instruction set). Instruction sets are relatively small; most higher-order programming languages, such as C++, Ada, Fortran, or Visual Basic, must be compiled (or translated, or interpreted) into these low level commands in order for a program to run.

These low-level commands are run in a series of steps, which are synchronized with the computer’s clock. (One apt analogy would be an internal combustion engine. In an engine, the pistons, valves, and fuel systems must all run in a very synchronized manner, so likewise a computer runs – with precise timing dictating when instructions are fetched and executed, and when data is read and written. If an engine runs in a cycle: intake, compression, ignition, and exhaust; so does a computer's CPU: fetch, decode, execute, memory access and write back)

CPU architects strive for designs that are compact and efficient, thus forcing many tradeoffs to be considered during design. A 32-bit architecture can move more data than a 16-bit architecture in each cycle (thereby making it faster), but the data bus is also twice as wide, which takes up more area on the limited space of a chip. Despite these challenges, continual advances in VLSI design have made it possible for computer processors to steadily grow exponentially more powerful over the past few decades.

Embedded CPU architectures

ARM's
- ARM architecture (32-bit)
- ARM64 (64/32-bit)
- Thumb (16/32-bit mixed compact instruction set architecture of 32-bit RISC)
Atmel's AVR architecture
Axis Communications' ETRAX CRIS architecture
EnSilica's eSi-RISC architecture
Fujitsu's FR-V - VLIW and vector processor based RISC architecture
Inmos' Transputer architectures
Intel's
- MCS-48 - 8-bit CISC (also known as 8048) architecture
- MCS-51 - 8-bit CISC (also known as 8051) architecture
- i860 - 32/64-bit RISC VLIW architecture
- i960 - 32-bit RISC architecture
Microchip's PIC architecture
Milkymist architecture
MIPS Technologies'
- MIPS16 - 16/32-bit mixed compact instruction set architecture of 32-bit RISC
- MIPS32 - 32-bit RISC architecture
- MIPS64 - 64-bit RISC architecture
MOS Technology's 6502 architecture
- Western Design Center's 65816 architecture
NXP Semiconductor (formerly Freescale and Motorola)'s
- PowerPC; A branch of Power Architecture - 32-bit RISC
- 6800 architecture - 8-bit CISC
- 68000 architectures - 32-bit CISC
Oracle's (formerly Sun Microsystems's) Java Bytecode based Java processor architecture
- Standard Java Bytecode based instruction set architecture (32-bit stack architecture)
  - Oracle's (formerly Sun Microsystems's) picoJava with originally extended bytecodes
  - aJile Systems, Inc's JStik, aJ102, and aJ200 architecture
- Java Card Bytecode based instruction set architecture (16-bit stack architecture)
  - The name is unknown^[1]
Renesas Electronics'
- RL78 - Combination of RISC and CISC 16-bit architecture (Renaming of 78K/0R)
- RX - Combination of RISC and CISC 32-bit architecture
- H8 (formerly Hitachi) - 32, 16, and 8-bit CISC architecture
- M32R (formerly Mitsubishi Electric) - 32-bit RISC architecture
- SuperH (formerly Hitachi) - 32-bit RISC architecture
- V60 (formerly NEC Electronics) - 32-bit CISC architecture
- V850 (formerly NEC Electronics) - 32-bit RISC architecture
Tensilica's Xtensa architecture
Texas Instruments's MSP430 architecture
Zilog's Z80 architecture

Personalcomputer CPU architectures

Intel's 8080 architecture
Intel/AMD's x86 architecture
- 8086 architecture: 16-bit CISC
- IA-32 (also known as x86-32) architecture: 32-bit CISC
- x86-64 with AMD's AMD64 and Intel's Intel 64 version of it: 64-bit CISC
Motorola's (Currently NXP Semiconductor's)
- 6800 architecture: 8-bit CISC
- 68000 architecture: 32-bit CISC (cf. Macintosh)
MOS Technology's 6502 architecture: 8-bit CISC (cf. Apple II)
Zilog's Z80 architecture: 8-bit CISC
Power Architecture
- Power PC instruction set architecture
  - 32-bit RISC (cf. Power Mac G4)
  - 64-bit RISC
ARM architecture
- ARM^[2]^[3] (previously Advanced RISC Machines' ARM, originally Acorn's RISC Machine)'s
  - 32-bit architecture: (cf. Toshiba AC100)
  - ARM64 (64/32-bit)
- DEC's (currently Intel's) StrongARM/XScale architectures

Workstation/Server CPU architectures

DEC's
- VAX architecture (cf. VAXstation)
- Alpha architecture (cf. AlphaStation)
HP's PA-RISC architecture
IBM's Power Architecture
- POWER Instruction Set Architecture
- PowerPC Instruction Set Architecture (cf. PReP)
Intel/AMD's
- IA-32 architecture (cf. SGI Visual Workstation)
- x86-64 (also know as AMD64) architecture (cf. SGI Virtu)
- Itanium (also known as IA-64) architecture (cf. SGI Prism)
MIPS Computer Systems Inc.'s MIPS architecture (cf. DECstation, SGI Indigo)
Motorola's (Currently NXP Semiconductor's) 68000 architectures (cf. Sun-3, Apollo Computer)
Oracle's (formerly Sun Microsystems's) SPARC architecture (cf. Sun-4)

Minicomputer CPU architecture

Data General's
- Nova architecture
- Eclipse architecture
DEC's
- Programmed Data Processor architecture: 18-bit CISC (cf. PDP-1/-4/-7/-9/-15)
- PDP-8/PDP-12 instruction set architecture: 16-bit CISC
- PDP-11 architecture:16-bit CISC
- VAX architecture: 32-bit CISC
HP's
- PA-RISC 32-bit architecture: (cf. HP 3000)
- PA-RISC 64-bit architecture

Mainframe CPU architectures

IBM's (1964–present)
Burroughs large systems architecture (1961–present) currently supported in the Unisys ClearPath/MCP series.
UNIVAC 1100/2200 series architecture (currently supported by Unisys ClearPath IX computers)
NCR Corporation
Control Data Corporation (CDC)
General Electric's and Honeywell's GCOS, and NEC's ACOS architecture (also the name of their OS)

Military/aerospace CPU architectures

MIL-STD-1750A - the U.S.'s military standard computer, 16-bit RISC
AP-101 - the space shuttle's computer

Mixed-core CPU architectures

Power Architecture based
- IBM's Cell Broadband Engine Architecture: POWER or PowerPC + plural of vector elements
- NXP Semiconductor's (formerly Freescale's) PowerQUICC architecture: PowerPC + plural of QUICC
NEC's SX architecture: A general purpose architecture + plural of vector processor engine
CAS's Loongson 3
Parallax Propeller, a 160 MIPS multicore microcontroller with eight 32-bit RISC cores.

Historically important CPUs

EDSAC - the first practical stored-program computer
Apollo Guidance Computer, used in the moon flights
MIL-STD-1750 An early CPU, standardized for military and aerospace embedded systems.
Cray Inc.'s Cray-1 - the first successfully merchandised vector processor based supercomputer
MIPS R4000 - the first microprocessor to use a 64-bit datapath
Intel 4004 - the first microprocessor

References

^ Zhang, Jianjie; Li, Feihui; Ge, Yuanqing; Yue, Zhenwu; Yang, Zhilian (2001). "A Java processor suitable for applications of smart card". ASICON 2001. 2001 4th International Conference on ASIC Proceedings (Cat. No.01TH8549): 736–739. doi:10.1109/ICASIC.2001.982668.
^ Larabel, Michael (3 February 2014). "CompuLab Utilite: A Tiny, Low-Power, Low-Cost, ARM Linux Desktop". Phoronix. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
^ Larabel, Michael (19 June 2012). "Building A 96-Core Ubuntu ARM Solar-Powered Cluster". Phoronix. Retrieved 23 April 2014.

[1] Zhang, Jianjie; Li, Feihui; Ge, Yuanqing; Yue, Zhenwu; Yang, Zhilian (2001). "A Java processor suitable for applications of smart card". ASICON 2001. 2001 4th International Conference on ASIC Proceedings (Cat. No.01TH8549): 736–739. doi:10.1109/ICASIC.2001.982668.

[2] Larabel, Michael (3 February 2014). "CompuLab Utilite: A Tiny, Low-Power, Low-Cost, ARM Linux Desktop". Phoronix. Retrieved 23 April 2014.

[3] Larabel, Michael (19 June 2012). "Building A 96-Core Ubuntu ARM Solar-Powered Cluster". Phoronix. Retrieved 23 April 2014.

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