Complex instruction set computer, or CISC, types include many specialized instructions that are of use to particular programs, but not universal. A CISC program will typically use fewer instructions ...

They offered the term "CISC" -- Complex Instruction Set Computer -- to describe many of the various CPU architectures already in existence that did not follow the tenets of RISC.

This is in contrast to a Complex Instruction Set Computer (CISC), which focuses on reducing the number of instructions needed for an application, which decreases code storage requirements.

RISC is an alternative to the Complex Instruction Set Computing (CISC) architecture and is often considered the most efficient CPU architecture technology available today.

Arm chips also are RISC designs. Software controls Intel x86 chips with the older CISC, or complex instruction set computing, technology, but deeper down, even Intel chips use RISC technology.

The most significant aspect is that Arm is a RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computing) architecture while x86 is a CISC (Complex Instruction Set Computing) architecture.

The Reduced Instruction Set Computer chipsets used in phones comprise nanometer-size transistors, and materials including copper and silicon, just like the Complex Instruction Set Computer ...