16-bit Microprocessors, History and Architecture

The era of the 16-bit microprocessor began in 1978 with the introduction by Intel of the 8086 and 8088 processors. Embedded controller versions of some of the general purpose cpu’s were also added to the families.

The 16-bit microprocessors were a follow-on to the previous 8 bit chips. They offered not only greater integer word size, but more address range, and faster operation than their predecessors.
Initially implemented in multiple chips, the march of technology finally allowed these 16...