The History of the x86 Architecture.

Invented by Intel in 1978, the x86 architecture has evolved through the ages, not only getting faster, but increasingly flexible as more and more extensions and instruction sets accompany each new release.

In the beginning, Intel created the 8086 and its first 16-bit microprocessor. This gargantuan chip maker gave birth to the x86 processor. More than 30 years later, the x86 continues to evolve, from its modest start in 1978.

For the last several decades the x86 architecture, with its major propontents Intel and AMD, have dominated the CPU market in personal computers (PCs).  Today, INtel and AMDcontrol about 80.4% and 11.52%, respectively, of the worldwide microprocessor market (iSuppli, 2010). Despite the prevalance of x86, there are tell-tale signs that the x86 architecture is in the early stages of being disrupted according to work by Clayton Christensen because : (1)The x86 current technology is overshooting the needs of the mass market. (2) A new technology emerges that excels on different dimensions of performance-(such as ARM architecture). (3) Because this new technology excels on a different dimension of performance, it initially attracts a new market segment.

While x86 is the mainstay technology in PCs, the ARM processor has gained significant market share in the embedded systems and mobile devices markets.

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