page_title: Motorola 68000
hierarchical_section_title: Motorola 68000
caption_attribution_description: English: Die shot of Motorola 68000 microprocessor (MC68000L12, 2A72E mask).
context_page_description: The Motorola 68000 is a 16/32-bit CISC microprocessor, introduced in 1979 by Motorola Semiconductor Products Sector.
  The design implements a 32-bit instruction set, with 32-bit registers and a 32-bit internal data bus. The address bus is 24-bits and does not use memory segmentation, which made it popular with programmers. Internally, it uses a 16-bit data ALU and two additional 16-bit ALUs used mostly for addresses, and has a 16-bit external data bus. For this reason, Motorola referred to it as a 16/32-bit processor.
  As one of the first widely available processors with a 32-bit instruction set, and running at relatively high speeds for the era, the 68k was a popular design through the 1980s. It was widely used in a new generation of personal computers with graphical user interfaces, including the Apple Macintosh, Commodore Amiga, Atari ST and many others. It competed primarily against the Intel 8088, found in the IBM PC, which it easily outperformed. The 68k and 8088 pushed other designs, like the Zilog Z8000 and National Semiconductor 32016, into niche markets, and made Motorola a major player in the CPU space.
context_section_description: The Motorola 68000 ("'sixty-eight-thousand'"; also called the "Texas Cockroach", the m68k or Motorola 68k, "sixty-eight-kay") is a 16/32-bit CISC microprocessor, introduced in 1979 by Motorola Semiconductor Products Sector.
  The design implements a 32-bit instruction set, with 32-bit registers and a 32-bit internal data bus. The address bus is 24-bits and does not use memory segmentation, which made it popular with programmers. Internally, it uses a 16-bit data ALU and two additional 16-bit ALUs used mostly for addresses, and has a 16-bit external data bus. For this reason, Motorola referred to it as a 16/32-bit processor.
  As one of the first widely available processors with a 32-bit instruction set, and running at relatively high speeds for the era, the 68k was a popular design through the 1980s. It was widely used in a new generation of personal computers with graphical user interfaces, including the Apple Macintosh, Commodore Amiga, Atari ST and many others. It competed primarily against the Intel 8088, found in the IBM PC, which it easily outperformed. The 68k and 8088 pushed other designs, like the Zilog Z8000 and National Semiconductor 32016, into niche markets, and made Motorola a major player in the CPU space.
  The 68k was soon expanded with additional family members, implementing full 32-bit ALUs as part of the growing Motorola 68000 series. The original 68k is generally software forward-compatible with the rest of the line despite being limited to a 16-bit wide external bus. After 40 years in production, the 68000 architecture is still in use.
caption: Die of Motorola 68000
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