Reduced Instruction-Set Computer. Typical features of processors with RISC architecture: fixed length of machine instructions (for example 32 bits) and simple command format; one instruction performs only one memory operation – read or write. “Read-modify-write” operations are missing; big quantity of general purpose registers (32 and more).
Processor design techniques that put the following method on the top: more compact and simple instructions are executed faster. Simple architecture in its turn allows a reduction in the processor’s price so increasing clock frequency. Many previous RISC-processors did not even have multiplication and division commands.