PowerPC

E6429

RISC architecture microprocessor architecture

PowerPC is a RISC-based microprocessor architecture developed in the early 1990s by the AIM alliance (Apple, IBM, and Motorola) and used in a wide range of computers, embedded systems, and game consoles.

Aliases (29)

Statements (97)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	RISC architecture → microprocessor architecture →
addressingMode	load-store architecture →
alsoKnownAs	Performance Optimization With Enhanced RISC – Performance Computing →
architectureType	RISC →
category	computer architecture → instruction set architecture →
compatibleWith	Power Architecture →
derivedFrom	IBM POWER architecture →
designedFor	embedded applications → high-performance computing →
developer	Apple Inc. → IBM → Motorola →
endianess	big-endian → little-endian →
hasExtension	AltiVec → VMX →
hasVariant	MPC5xx series → MPC82xx series → MPC85xx series → MPC86xx series → MPC8xx series → PowerPC 405 → PowerPC 440 → PowerPC 460 → PowerPC 601 → PowerPC 603 → PowerPC 604 → PowerPC 620 → PowerPC 7400 → PowerPC 7450 → PowerPC 750 → PowerPC 970 →
inception	1991 → early 1990s →
influenced	Power Architecture →
influencedBy	IBM POWER1 → IBM POWER2 →
instructionSetArchitecture	PowerPC ISA →
marketedAs	PowerPC G3 → PowerPC G4 → PowerPC G5 →
partOf	AIM alliance →
registerCount	32 floating-point registers → 32 general-purpose registers →
replacedBy	Intel x86 architecture in Apple Macintosh computers →
standardizedBy	Power.org →
successor	Power ISA →
supports	AltiVec → bi-endian operation → branch prediction → floating-point unit → hardware-based memory management unit → out-of-order execution → pipelining → superscalar execution → symmetric multiprocessing → virtual memory →
usedAs	primary CPU in Apple Macintosh computers from 1994 to 2006 →
usedBy	Apple Inc. → Freescale Semiconductor → IBM → Microsoft → Motorola → Nintendo → Sony →
usedIn	AmigaOne computers → Apple Macintosh computers → IBM RS/6000 systems → IBM pSeries servers → Microsoft Xbox 360 → Nintendo GameCube → Nintendo Wii → Power Mac G3 → Power Mac G4 → Power Mac G5 → PowerBook G3 → PowerBook G4 → Sony PlayStation 3 → automotive systems → desktop computers → embedded systems → game consoles → iBook G3 → iBook G4 → iMac G3 → iMac G4 → iMac G5 → industrial control systems → laptop computers → networking equipment → servers → telecommunications equipment → workstations →
wordSize	32-bit → 64-bit →

Referenced by (75)

Subject (surface form when different)	Predicate
PowerPC ("PowerPC 601") → PowerPC ("PowerPC 603") → PowerPC ("PowerPC 604") → PowerPC ("PowerPC 620") → PowerPC ("PowerPC 750") → PowerPC ("PowerPC 970") → PowerPC ("PowerPC 405") → PowerPC ("PowerPC 440") → PowerPC ("PowerPC 460") → PowerPC ("MPC5xx series") → PowerPC ("MPC8xx series") →	hasVariant
AmigaOS → AmigaOne computers → Apple Macintosh computers → Power Macintosh series → PowerPC G4 → RAD750 →	architecture
GDB → GNU C Library → GNU Compiler Collection → GNU Debugger → LLVM → Linux →	supportsArchitecture
Performa 5200CD → PowerBook → iBook → iMac G3 →	cpuArchitecture
AmigaOne computers ("PowerPC e500") → Apple Macintosh Performa series → Performa ("PowerPC 601") → Performa ("PowerPC 603") →	cpuFamily
AIM alliance ("PowerPC 601") → AIM alliance ("PowerPC 603") → AIM alliance ("PowerPC 604") → AIM alliance ("PowerPC G3") →	notableTechnology
CentOS ("PowerPC (ppc64le)") → FreeBSD → KVM →	architectureSupport
PowerPC ("PowerPC G3") → PowerPC ("PowerPC G4") → PowerPC ("PowerPC G5") →	marketedAs
Classic Mac OS → Mac OS 9 → Mac OS X 10.0 Cheetah →	platform
GNU GRUB → Gentoo Linux → OpenWrt →	supportsPlatform
AltiVec → Clang → VMX →	targetArchitecture
Power Architecture ("PowerPC architecture") → Power ISA →	basedOn
Nintendo GameCube ("IBM PowerPC Gekko") → Nintendo Wii ("IBM PowerPC-based Broadway") →	cpu
AIM alliance ("PowerPC microprocessors") → AIM alliance ("PowerPC architecture specifications") →	product
Power Architecture ("POWER/PowerPC family") →	architectureFamily
PowerPC ("IBM POWER architecture") →	derivedFrom
iBook ("PowerPC G3") →	firstGenerationCPU
AIM alliance ("PowerPC microprocessor architecture") →	focus
Power.org ("PowerPC processors") →	focusesOn
Power.org ("PowerPC instruction set") →	hasKeyTechnology
Power Architecture ("PowerPC ISA") →	hasSubArchitecture
Motorola 88000 ("PowerPC architecture") →	influenced
PowerPC ("PowerPC ISA") →	instructionSetArchitecture
Macintosh Toolbox →	laterSupportedArchitecture
Motorola ("PowerPC microprocessors") →	notableProduct
Freescale Semiconductor ("PowerPC embedded processors") →	notableProductFamily
Mac mini ("PowerPC G4") →	originalProcessorArchitecture
Power ISA →	predecessor
Power.org ("PowerPC architecture") →	relatedTo
System 7 →	supportedArchitecture
Windows NT →	supportedCpuArchitecture
AIX →	supportsHardwareArchitecture
Power Architecture ("IBM PowerPC processors") →	usedBy