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PowerPC is a RISC processor architecture created in 1991, used in Macintosh computers until 2006 and in video games and embedded controllers. It can toggle between little-endian and big-endian orientation and has a unique memory management architecture. It is commonly used in large servers, video game systems, and embedded systems such as vehicle control systems and network equipment.
The PowerPC®, also known by the acronym PPC, is a processor architecture created in 1991 by a group of computer manufacturers. It is basically a RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computing) processor that can alternate its data orientation. From 1994 to 2006, Apple® Incorporated’s line of Macintosh® computers used PPC as the central processor. It is also often used in video games and embedded controllers, including network devices and automotive applications.
The single-chip PowerPC® is based on the Power Architecture® developed in 1990 by International Business Machines Corporation (IBM®). This high performance multi-chip RISC architecture evolved into PPC with the help of Apple® Incorporated and Motorola Incorporated. The PPC was designed to outperform Complex Instruction Set Computing (CISC) processors in personal computers. Despite being adopted by most operating systems, PPC hasn’t gained much of that market. Outside of the Macintosh® line, very few PPC-based personal computer software applications have been developed.
Most PowerPC® chips include the ability to toggle between little-endian and big-endian orientation. This byte order switching can occur while the processor is running. Some PowerPC® chips allow each memory page to use a different orientation. Others allow the operating system to use one orientation while the rest of the system uses the other. When switching orientations, a large amount of swap bytes may be required to ensure that the correct ordering is used with motherboard devices and external hardware.
Several enhancements to the original Power Architecture® are provided by the PowerPC®. These include a unique memory management architecture and many math-related instructions. There is also a 64-bit version of the PPC which is backwards compatible with the more common 32-bit chip. Some complex Power Architecture® instructions have also been removed from the original PPC design for efficiency reasons.
After the release of the first PowerPC®, IBM® continued to develop the Power Architecture® line. Later processors were compatible with the original PPC instruction set and are often used in large servers. Several mass-market video game systems also use PowerPC® processors.
Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) sometimes include a PPC processor core in their design. This has led to a large variety of PowerPC®-based embedded systems. Vehicle control systems use them frequently, including cars and at least one jet fighter. PPCs are also common in some types of network equipment such as routers. Most real-time embedded operating system kernels and tools support PPC, making system development simple.
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