Editing PowerPC (section)

{{Short description|RISC instruction set architecture by AIM alliance}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2013}}
{{Infobox CPU architecture
|name = PowerPC
|designer = [[AIM alliance|AIM]]
|bits = [[32-bit]]/[[64-bit]] (32 → 64)
|introduced = {{start date and age|1992|10}}
|version = 2.02<ref name=powerpc_archguide>{{cite web |url=https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/systems/library/es-archguide-v2.html |title=PowerPC Architecture Book, Version 2.02 |website=[[IBM]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129235141/https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/systems/library/es-archguide-v2.html |archive-date=29 November 2020 |date=16 November 2005}}</ref>
|design = [[RISC]]
|type = [[Load–store architecture|Load–store]]
|encoding = Fixed/Variable (Book E)
|branching = [[Status register|Condition code]]
|endianness = [[Bi-endian|Big/Bi]]<!-- Except PowerPC 970 and many others -->
|extensions = [[AltiVec]], [[PowerPC AS]], APU
|open = 
|gpr = 32
|fpr = 32
|vpr = 32 (with [[AltiVec]])
|image=PowerPC logo.svg
|successor = [[Power ISA]]
}}
[[File:IBM PowerPC601 PPC601FD-080-2 top.jpg|thumb|IBM PowerPC 601 microprocessor]]

'''PowerPC''' (with the [[backronym]] '''Performance Optimization With Enhanced RISC – Performance Computing''', sometimes abbreviated as '''PPC''') is a [[reduced instruction set computer]] (RISC) [[instruction set architecture]] (ISA) created by the 1991 [[Apple Inc.|Apple]]–[[IBM]]–[[Motorola]] alliance, known as [[AIM alliance|AIM]]. PowerPC, as an evolving instruction set, has been named [[Power ISA]] since 2006, while the old name lives on as a [[trademark]] for some implementations of [[Power Architecture]]–based processors.

Originally intended for [[personal computer]]s, the architecture is well known for being used by Apple's desktop and laptop lines from 1994 until 2006, and in several [[videogame console]]s including Microsoft's [[Xbox 360]], Sony's [[PlayStation 3]], and Nintendo's [[GameCube]], [[Wii]], and [[Wii U]]. PowerPC was also used for the [[Curiosity (rover)|Curiosity]] and [[Perseverance (rover)|Perseverance]] rovers on Mars and a variety of satellites. It has since become a niche architecture for personal computers, particularly with [[AmigaOS 4]] implementations, but remains popular for [[embedded system]]s.

PowerPC was the cornerstone of AIM's [[PReP]] and [[Common Hardware Reference Platform]] (CHRP) initiatives in the 1990s. It is largely based on the earlier [[IBM POWER architecture]], and retains a high level of compatibility with it; the architectures have remained close enough that the same programs and [[operating system]]s will run on both if some care is taken in preparation; newer chips in the [[IBM Power microprocessors|Power series]] use the [[Power ISA]].