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x86

x86

7 5.5
A family of computer processors used in many personal computers and servers
  • noun
  • /ɛks eɪtʃ sɪks/
  • Specialized
: x86
  • We proposed migrating to an x86-based big-data platform and moving all their applications off mainframes and onto x86.
  • x86 chip
  • x86 processor
  • x86 family

Examples

  • RT tablets are not expensive for what you get; X86 tablets are not expensive for what you get.

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  • Applications coded for x86 can run on x64, but applications coded for x64 cannot run on x86.

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  • Microsoft is taking this to the next step by actively supporting both x86 and ARM processors in Windows 8.

    Blog text (10)
  • The challenges to make a Windows-capable x86 CPU tablet are huge.

    Blog text (12)
  • COTS developers are facing new challenges as modules move from x86 to ARM.

    Blog text (17)
  • Android now runs as a first-class citizen on x86, ARM, and MIPS.

    Blog text (29)
  • On the contrary, Surface Pro runs on x86 hardware provided by either Intel or AMD, depending on the OEMs.

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  • Russian startup Elbrus Technologies announced today that they've developed an x86 emulator that runs on ARM systems.

    Blog text (16)
  • Intel is launching the x86-compatible Xeon Phi accelerator at SC12.

    Blog text (10)
  • The x86 architecture is widely used in personal computers and servers.

Surface Forms

x86 singular
x86s plural

Etymology

X86 comes from an early Intel chip called 8086, and people began using x to mean 'any' model that ends with 86. So x86 now means the '86' family of processors used in most personal computers.