Intel's $475M error: the silicon behind the Pentium division bug
SMRTR summary
Intel's 1993 Pentium processor had a flaw in its floating-point division algorithm, discovered by Professor Nicely in 1994. Initially downplayed, the issue became a major media story. After criticism, Intel agreed to replace faulty chips, costing $475 million.
The bug was caused by missing entries in a division lookup table, implemented in a Programmable Logic Array (PLA) on the chip. This incident highlighted the complexity of processor design and impacted Intel's reputation. It led to improved microcode patching in future designs.
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