An inside look at the Z80,000 CPU: Zilog's new 32-bit microprocessor

ABSTRACT

With recent advances in very large scale integrated circuit (VLSI) design, the once-distinct boundaries of micro-, mini-, and mainframe computer architectures are eroding. For example, the Motorola 68000, the Z8000 CPU, and the Intel 8086 have broken the once-distinct boundary between micro- and minicomputers. Now the Z80,000 CPU, Zilog's new 32-bit processor chip, has broken the distinct boundary between mini- and mainframe computers by featuring a mainframe power on an integrated-circuit chip. The distinguishing features of the Z80,000 CPU---such as on-chip virtual memory management, on-chip cache memory, six-stage pipeline architecture, burst memory transfer, and multiprocessing support---put it ahead of any CPU in its class.

The CPU supports linear and segmented addressing. The regular instruction set and rich and powerful addressing modes are well suited to compilers and operating systems. The flexibility and simplicity of the Z80,000 provide an easy solution to hardware and software system design.