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The unusual bootstrap drivers inside the 8086 microprocessor chip
.hilite {cursor:zoom-in} The 8086 microprocessor is one of the most important chips ever created; it started the x86 architecture that still dominates desktop and server computing today. I've been reverse-engineering its circuitry by studying its silicon die. One of the most unusual circuits I found is a "bootstrap driver", a way to boost internal signals to improve performance.1 The bootstrap driver circuit from the 8086 processor. This circuit consists of just three NMOS transistors, ampli...