Itanium® Architecture for Programmers: Understanding 64-Bit Processors and EPIC Principles

11.1. Compilers for RISC-like Systems

The very earliest computers, such as the von Neumann machine, bore some resemblance to what are now called RISC architectures. The von Neumann machine even fetched two instructions at once, though it did not have sufficient internal parallelism for true dual issue. As computing evolved, however, most systems developed into what came to be called CISC systems. The IBM 801 minicomputer (dating from 1975) is generally credited with being the first actual RISC architecture, although some earlier machines, such as the CDC 6600, had RISC-like features. The main examples of RISC systems began to emerge from the research community after 1980, driven in part by difficulties in compiler design posed by the sheer complexity ...