MicroVAX 78032
| Industry | Computer hardware |
|---|---|
| Founded | May 16, 1957 |
| Founder | Ken Olsen, Harlan Anderson |
| Headquarters | Maynard, Massachusetts , United States |
| Products | MicroVAX 78032 microprocessor, MicroVAX II systems |
The MicroVAX 78032 (also known as DC333) is a microprocessor created by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) that implements a partial version of the VAX instruction set architecture (ISA). It serves as the central processing unit for DEC's VAX systems, beginning with the introduction of the MicroVAX II in 1985. Running at 5 MHz, its integer computation capabilities are comparable to those of the original VAX-11/780 from 1977. To improve floating point operations, the 78032 can be combined with the MicroVAX 78132 floating-point accelerator.
The 78032 represented several firsts for DEC: it was their initial single-chip microprocessor implementing the VAX ISA and their first processor manufactured internally. Additionally, it was the pioneering semiconductor device registered under the Semiconductor Chip Protection Act of 1984.
Built using DEC’s ZMOS process—a 3.0 µm NMOS logic technology featuring two aluminum interconnect layers—the chip contains 125,000 transistors on a die measuring 8.7 by 8.6 mm (74.82 mm2). The package is a 68-pin surface-mounted leaded chip carrier.
MicroVAX 78132
The MicroVAX 78132 (DC337) is a floating-point coprocessor designed to work alongside the MicroVAX 78032. It interfaces through the DAL bus and control signals, accelerating 61 out of the 70 floating-point instructions in the MicroVAX VAX ISA subset, as well as nine integer instructions.
This coprocessor operates on a microcycle lasting 100 ns, subdivided into four clock phases of 25 ns each, driven by a 40 MHz input clock. It consists of five primary components: a 67-bit fraction processor, a 13-bit exponent processor, a sign processor, a microsequencer, and a bus interface unit.
The 78132 chip houses 32,141 transistors within an 8.4 by 6.6 mm (55.44 mm2) die, fabricated using DEC’s ZMOS process and packaged similarly in a 68-pin surface-mounted leaded chip carrier.
Other vendors
In 1989/90, an East German reverse-engineered version of the 78032 called the U80701 was produced.
A second clone of the 78032 was manufactured in the Soviet Union, known under the designation KL1807VM3 ().