List of former IA-32 compatible processor manufacturers

Template:Short description Template:More citations needed As the 32-bit Intel architecture became the dominant computing platform during the 1980s and 1990s, multiple companies have tried to build microprocessors that are compatible with that Intel instruction set architecture. Most of these companies were not successful in the mainstream computing market. So far, only AMD has had any market presence in the computing market for more than a couple of product generations. Cyrix was successful during the 386 and 486 generations of products but did not do well after the Pentium was introduced.

List of former IA-32 compatible microprocessor vendors:

Progressed into surviving companies

• Centaur Technology – originally subsidiary of IDT, later acquired by VIA Technologies, still producing compatible low-end devices for VIA
• Cyrix – acquired by National Semiconductor, later acquired by VIA Technologies, eventually shut down
• NexGen – bought by AMD to help develop the successful K6 device
• National Semiconductor – low-end 486 (designed in-house) never widely sold; first acquirer of Cyrix, later keeping only low-end IA-32 devices targeted for consumer System-on-a-chips, finally selling them to AMD

Product discontinued/transformed

• Harris Corporation – sold radiation-hardened versions of the 8086 and 80286; product line discontinued. Produced 20 MHz and 25 MHz 80286s (some motherboards were equipped with cache memory, which was unusual for 80286 processors).
• NEC – sold processors, such as NEC V20 and NEC V30, that were compatible with early Intel 16-bit architectures; product line transitioned to NEC-designed architectures.
• Siemens – sold versions of the 8086 and 80286; product line discontinued.
• V.M. Technology – developed VM860 (8086-compatible processor), VM8600SP (80286 compatibility with proprietary 32-bit extensions), and VM386SX+ (Intel 386SX pin compatible processor) for the Japanese market.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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Left the market or closed

• Chips and Technologies – left market after failed 386 compatible chip failed to boot the Windows operating system
• IBM – Cyrix licensee and developer of Blue Lightning 486 line of processors, eventually left compatible chip market
• Rise Technology – after five years of working on the slow mP6 chip (released in 1998), the company closed a year later
• Texas Instruments and SGS-Thomson – licensees of Cyrix designs, eventually left compatible chip market
• Transmeta – transitioned to an intellectual property company in 2005
• United Microelectronics Corporation and Meridian Semiconductor – got out of market after a suit from Intel questioning the legality of copying Intel origin x86 microcode

Incomplete/unsuccessful projects

• Mostek — obtained a licence to second-source the Intel 8086, but cancelled it due to lack of support from Intel.<ref>Computer History Museum, Intel 386 Microprocessor Sole Source Decision Oral History Panel, 14 aug 2008, pages 3-4. Archived on 13 May 2015.</ref><ref>David L. Farquhar, Intel 8088s and non-Intel non-clones, 30 Oct 2023, see "Mostek" section. Archived on 4 Nov 2023.</ref>
• Chromatic Research / ATI Technologies — x86/RISC dual instruction set processor codenamed "Tapestry"<ref>ATI/USPTO, US Patent 7047394: Computer for execution of RISC and CISC instruction sets, granted 16 May 2006, Google Patents</ref> never completed
• Exponential Technology — x86-compatible microprocessor never completed<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
• S-MOS — 486-compatible project was canceled<ref>Template:Cite magazine Mentions S-MOS canceling their 486 class processor project along with IIT doing the same.</ref>
• IIT Corp — 486-compatible project never completed<ref>Template:Cite magazine Mentions IIT as developing a 486-class CPU for release in 1994.</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine Mentions NatSemi's licensing technology from IIT for its own NS486 processor.</ref>
• International Meta Systems — Pentium/PPro-class processors "Meta 6000", "Meta 6500", "Meta 7000/BiFrost" never completed<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• Texas Instruments — internally developed Pentium class processor was canceled in 1996<ref>Template:Cite magazine Mentions TI's 5th generation x86 processor project being canceled.</ref>
• MemoryLogix — multi-threaded CPU core "MLX1" and SOC for PCs never completed<ref>Peter Song, {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• Metaflow Technologies — 486-class processor "CP100" never released<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• Montalvo Systems — asymmetric multiprocessor never completed<ref name="linley_montalvo" />
• ULSI System Technology — company shut down after protracted legal battle with Intel over 387 floating-point co-processor patents
• VLSI Technology — developed 386SX-based "Polar" SoC in collaboration with Intel<ref>Byte (magazine), January 1994, pp. 101-104</ref> - canceled due to low performance and lack of software support<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
• KAIST — developed but did not commercialize Intel-compatible processors HK386 and K486.<ref>Template:Cite conference</ref><ref>Joon-seo Yim et al, Verification Methodology of Compatible Microprocessors, 1997.</ref>
• Henry Wong — developed a 2-way superscalar, out-of-order execution, 32-bit x86 processor soft core running at over 200 MHz on Altera Stratix IV FPGA.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• Nvidia — Project Denver was originally intended to support the x86 instruction set, but was eventually released with support for the ARM instruction set instead.<ref>HPC Wire, SC24 Reveal: Nvidia’s PC/Server ARM CPU Program Started on x86, 21 Nov 2024. Archived on 3 Aug 2025.</ref>

See also

• List of x86 manufacturers