On its new 80386-compatible 38600 chip family, Chips & Technologies Inc says it first developed a core object-code compatible with the Intel Corp 80386, then added a five-stage pipeline, which enables some instructions to be executed in half the number of clock cycles as on the 80386: the 38605 DX and SX versions have a built-in 512-byte instruction cache and according to the company, the cache keeps the chip’s pipeline fully loaded through every cycle and boosts performance by as much as 40%; the 38605 DX and SX also feature the proprietary SuperState V hardware-software layer that enables manufacturers to add features such as power management.
