RISC

from WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)

RISC
    n 1: (computer science) a kind of computer architecture that has
         a relatively small set of computer instructions that it can
         perform [syn: {reduced instruction set computing}, {reduced
         instruction set computer}, {RISC}] [ant: {CISC}, {complex
         instruction set computer}, {complex instruction set
         computing}]

from The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008)

Reduced Instruction Set Computer
RISC

   <processor> (RISC) A {processor} whose design is based on the
   rapid execution of a sequence of simple instructions rather
   than on the provision of a large variety of complex
   instructions (as in a {Complex Instruction Set Computer}).

   Features which are generally found in RISC designs are uniform
   instruction encoding (e.g. the {op-code} is always in the same
   bit positions in each instruction which is always one word
   long), which allows faster decoding; a homogenous {register
   set}, allowing any register to be used in any context and
   simplifying {compiler} design; and simple {addressing modes}
   with more complex modes replaced by sequences of simple
   arithmetic instructions.

   Examples of (more or less) RISC processors are the {Berkeley
   RISC}, {HP-PA}, {Clipper}, {i960}, {AMD 29000}, {MIPS R2000}
   and {DEC Alpha}.  {IBM}'s first RISC computer was the {RT/PC}
   ({IBM 801}), they now produce the RISC-based {RISC
   System/6000} and {SP/2} lines.

   Despite {Apple Computer}'s bogus claims for their
   {PowerPC}-based {Macintosh}es, the first RISC processor used
   in a {personal computer} was the {Advanced RISC Machine} (ARM)
   used in the {Acorn} {Archimedes}.

   (1997-06-03)

from V.E.R.A. -- Virtual Entity of Relevant Acronyms (June 2006)

RISC
       Reduced Instruction Set Code (CPU)

from V.E.R.A. -- Virtual Entity of Relevant Acronyms (June 2006)

RISC
       Research Institute for Symbolic Computation (org., Austria)