Forty years ago, Intel released the 8086 processor, introducing the x86 architecture that underlies every PC—Windows, Mac, or Linux—produced today.

The most notable thing about the 8086’s legacy is its instruction set architecture (ISA), which has been maintained and expanded over the decades. Intel also recognizes its importance: in 2018, the ...

Initially, the 8086 was intended to be a stopgap product while Intel worked feverishly to finish its real next-generation microprocessor -- the iAPX 432, Intel's first 32-bit microprocessor.

Processor Architecture 101 – the heart of your PC. ... Or if you want to think of it in terms of size, the original 8086 was manufactured on a 3.2 micron—3,200nm—process.

As I’m sure many of you know, x86 architecture has been around for quite some time. It has its roots in Intel’s early 8086 processor, the first in the family. Indeed, even the original … ...

From the 8086 through the 186, 286, 386, 486 and various Pentium models, ... Intel's x86 microprocessor architecture has dominated large swaths of computing for three decades.

1978: Intel introduces the 16-bit 8086 microprocessor. It will become an industry standard. 1979: Intel introduces a lower-cost version of the 8086, the 8088, with an 8-bit bus.

Forty-two years ago today, Intel launched the original 8086 microprocessor -- the grandfather of every x86 CPU ever built, including the ones we use now.