Intel's First x86 CPU Had Secret Instructions Meant to Catch IP Thievery

Intel's 8086 processor featured a number of dead ends within its microcode and architecture design for elements that were massacred in the feature-set cutting room before the CPU's release. One such functionality was actually a hidden watermark Intel used to learn whether its rivals were copying its microcode instead of writing their own.

https://www.tomshardware.com/news/intels-first-x86-cpu-had-secret-instructions-meant-to-catch-ip-thievery

Created 2y | Jul 18, 2023, 11:40:11 AM


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