Cache prefetching is what allows processors to have data and/or instructions ready for use in a fast local cache rather than having to wait for a fetch request to trickle through to system RAM and ...

Thirty years ago, on June 8, 1978, Intel Corp. introduced its first 16-bit microprocessor, the 8086, with a splashy ad heralding “the dawn of a new era.” Overblown? Sure, but also prophetic. While the ...

You’d think that the 8086 microprocessor, a 40-year-old chip with a mere 29,000 transistors on board that kicked off the 16-bit PC revolution, would have no more tales left to tell. But as [Ken ...

In a nutshell: Intel has unveiled the latest revision of its pared-down X86S instruction set architecture. Version 1.2 takes the trimming trend further by axing multiple 16-bit and 32-bit features. It ...

Forward-looking: After being beaten by AMD in introducing the first, truly 64-bit instruction set in the x86 CPU world, Intel is now trying to get ahead of its historical competitor by working on a ...

ARM has updated its Thumb 16-bit microprocessor instruction set, allowing it to be used by operating systems and interrupts. Extra instructions in Thumb-2 can also be mixed with standard 32-bit ...