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The reduction in power also means that Arm CPUs generate less heat. By stripping out unneeded instructions and optimizing pathways, an Arm processor can deliver outstanding performance while using much less energy than a CISC-based processor. For example, Intel takes a hardware approach to maximizing performance, whereas Arm takes a software approach.Īrm processors can execute many more millions of instructions per second than Intel processors. The two types of processors also employ different methods to optimize performance and increase efficiency. The processors use a much simpler instruction set than their Intel counterparts, which are based on the complex instruction set computing ( CISC) architecture.
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The acronym is still widely used, although Arm Limited uses only Arm when describing its processor technology.Īrm Limited offers designs for both 32-bit and 64-bit RISC multicore processors. Until recently, the name Arm was treated as an acronym, ARM, which at first stood for Acorn RISC Machine and then for Advanced RISC Machine. Arm Limited does not manufacture or sell any chips directly.Īcorn Computers first developed the Arm processor in the 1980s. Arm Limited, the company behind the Arm processor, designs the core CPU components and licenses the intellectual property to partner organizations, which then build Arm-based chips according to their own requirements. Bigelow, Senior Technology EditorĪn Arm processor is one of a family of central processing units ( CPUs) based on the reduced instruction set computer ( RISC) architecture for computer processors.
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