386 microprocessor

During this period Andy Grove radically redirected the company, closing much of its DRAM business and directing income to the microprocessor commerce. Of perhaps greater importance was his choice to "single-source" the 386 microprocessor. Prior to this, microprocessor developed was in its infancy, and developed problems often reduced or stopped production, interrupt supplies to customers. To mitigate this risk, these customers typically insisted that multiple manufacturer produce chips they could use to ensure a consistent supply. The 8080 and 8086-series microprocessors were shaped by several companies, notably Zilog and AMD. Grove made the choice not to license the 386 design to other manufacturers, instead produce it in three geographically distinct factories in Santa Clara, CA; Hillsboro, OR; and the Phoenix, Arizona suburb of Chandler; and convincing patrons that this would ensure consistent release. As the success of Compaq's Deskpro 386 recognized the 386 as the dominant CPU choice, Intel achieve a position of near-exclusive supremacy as its supplier. Profits from this funded rapid growth of both higher-performance chip design and higher-performance developed capabilities, propelling Intel to a position of unquestioned management by the early 1990s.