roger@wraxall.inmos.co.uk (Roger Shepherd) (06/04/90)
In article <39213@mips.mips.COM> mash@mips.COM (John Mashey) writes: > However, in any case, it turns out that 64/32->32 requires a 64-bit > wide datapath, which would have caused serious chip layout problems > in the middle of something where every other integer thing was 32-wide. > (32/32->32 is OK, and so is 32*32->64, i.e., / is a worse problem > than *). I'm sorry but I don't believe that a 64/32->32 requires a 64-bit wide datapath; in fact, I KNOW this isn't true since all our processors implement double word/single word -> single word division on a 32-bit datapath. So what gives? I guess it must be either something to do with exactly what is meant by a ``32-bit wide datapath'', or the fact that the rules of VLSI design are different over here in Europe(:-). Roger Shepherd, INMOS Ltd JANET: roger@uk.co.inmos 1000 Aztec West UUCP: ukc!inmos!roger or uunet!inmos-c!roger Almondsbury INTERNET: roger@inmos.com +44 454 616616 ROW: roger@inmos.com OR roger@inmos.co.uk