What is the difference between ARM architecture and the typical architecture in CPUs, and why is it so revolutionary?
In: Engineering
Every type of computing chip comes with a set of instructions that engineers can use to build software. Not like those in Lego sets, but a a list of things the chip can be *instructed* do when told, such as arithmetic, logic operations, and moving data around in memory. ALL software of any kind is built using these basic few functions like “add these two numbers”, “tell me if two numbers are the same”, and “remember this number”.
ARM is a type of chip architecture that focuses on being physically small and using the least amount of electricity as possible to do the work it is instructed. The most important way it does this is by how limiting or *reduced* the list and power of available instructions is. This is called Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC).
In contrast, the x86 architecture based off of Intel’s work focuses entirely on performance. Its use of Complex Instruction Set Computing (CISC) means lots more power and speed, but at the cost of energy consumption. And until recently, it was so popular and so much better documented, it was the go-to choice because you could build more powerful software faster.
ARM and x86 are both 50 years old, so neither is all that revolutionary. Our increased desire and ability to make smaller battery-powered electronics just means ARM is now preferred for many applications.
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