Competitive strategies in the microprocessor industry: the case of an emerging versus an established technology

In: International Journal of Technology Management

Risc (reduced instruction set computer) architecture in challenging the dominance of the older Cisc (complex instruction set computer) microprocessor technology. The rise of Risc provides an example of a new, emerging technology struggling against an established one. This paper examines the character and state of development of the two architectural constituencies of Risc and Cisc and the strategies being implemented by their leading players. Both technologies are treated as evolving ‘sociotechnical constituencies’. The microchips of which Risc and Cisc are composed are treated as subconstituencies or product–constituencies.