Although the new Intel 80376 combines the full 32-bit architecture of the 80386 with a 16-bit (CI No 902), it’s not the 80388 that everyone has been looking for, and indeed is unable to perform that mythical chip’s role as the basis of powerful MS DOS micros that could be much cheaper than ones using the 80386: the 80376 is designed specifically for embedded control applications, and as well as cutting the number of address lines to 24 – for 16Mb – from 32, it eliminates the three personal computer-oriented modes of the 80386 – real mode, 80286 mode and 8086 virtual mode, retaining only the Unix-oriented protected mode.
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