CPUs and architecture

What do names like ARM, x86 and RISC-V mainly refer to?

  1. AGenerations of manufacturing processes
  2. BInstruction set architectures (ISAs)
  3. CTypes of packages
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Answer: B. Instruction set architectures (ISAs)

These are names of instruction set architectures (ISAs), which define the contract between software and hardware, such as the types and formats of instructions a processor understands. With the same ISA, processors designed by different companies can run the same programs.

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More CPUs and architecture questions

  1. Which is a characteristic of RISC-V?
  2. What is the processor design called that issues and executes multiple instructions simultaneously in one clock cycle?
  3. Which cache holds the results of translating virtual addresses into physical addresses to speed up address translation?
  4. Which dedicated circuit is built into smartphone SoCs and similar chips to perform AI inference quickly and with low power?
  5. In a typical computer, which lists the memory hierarchy from fastest to slowest access?