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#processor-architecture

3 posts

Tech HistoryDeep Dive October 3, 2026 8 min read

DEC Alpha: Designing a 64-Bit RISC Architecture for Long-Term Growth

How Digital's Alpha AXP combined a clean 64-bit instruction-set design, large address space, compiler assumptions, and workstation/server implementations.

#dec-alpha#risc#processor-architecture

Tech HistoryDeep Dive October 3, 2026 8 min read

Intel 8086: Segmented Memory, Prefetching, and the Start of x86

Explore the 8086 architecture behind x86: 20-bit physical addressing, overlapping 64 KiB segments, the EU/BIU prefetch queue, and the 8088 bus trade-off.

#intel-8086#x86#processor-architecture

Tech HistoryDeep Dive October 3, 2026 8 min read

Motorola 68000: The 16/32-Bit Architecture Behind a Generation of Systems

See why the 68000 was called 16/32-bit: its 32-bit register model, 24-bit address space, 16-bit bus, big-endian memory, and supervisor architecture.

#motorola-68000#processor-architecture#microprocessors