Special Memories From My Favorite TI Microprocessor Design Project

Reports on the design and development of Texas Instrument's (x86) Pentium-successor-class chip product line. In the mid-1990s, Texas Instruments (TI) set about designing a (x86) Pentium-successor-class chip targeted at capturing a big chunk of the burgeoning PC market. A top-notch team was assembled from both existing TIers and key experienced hires. Our new team was given significant independence within TI to empower us to move quickly and think “out of the box” where appropriate. It was very exciting to work on this elite team. Team members would come to work early or leave late—or both—without even being asked.