Ken Shirriff @righto.com · Jan 23 The arithmetic/logic unit (ALU) in the Intel 8086 processor (1978) is more complicated than you might expect, performing 28 different operations from addition and logical AND to shifts and BCD adjustment. A special control circuit reconfigures the ALU for each operation. Let's look closer...
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The 8086 processor uses microcode to specify each step of an instruction. The circuitry below decodes the microcode and sends control signals to the ALU so it performs the desired arithmetic or logic operation. In this die photo, you can see the individual transistors in the circuitry.
They look like fantastic city maps.