> Consequently, the x86 processors in today’s PCs may still appear to be executing software-compatible CISC instructions, but, as soon as those instructions cro

> Consequently, the x86 processors in today’s PCs may still appear to be executing software-compatible CISC instructions, but, as soon as those instructions cross over from external RAM into the processor, an instruction chopper/shredder slices and dices x86 machine instructions into simpler “micro-ops” (Intel-Speak for RISC instructions) that are then scheduled and executed on multiple RISC execution pipelines. Today’s x86 processors got faster by evolving into RISC machines. Going by that and the graph, then we can conclude that Intel saw the rapid 90's and early 2,000's gains because it was converting its chips into RISC chips? Also, that paragraph is basically saying that Intel's architecture has an extra layer of abstraction - so now we actually see that there is indeed an "x86 bloat" and why ARM chips seem to be so much more efficient (assuming all else, including process node is equal). It also looks like Intel may have made a "mistake" going with CISC decades ago, and it tried to rectify that in the 90's.