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by Netch 549 days ago
This division, using SRT loop with 2 bit output per iteration, perhaps would have already been microcoded - but using the lookup table as an accelerator. An alternative could use a simpler approach (e.g. 1-bit-iteration "non-restoring" division). Longer but still fitting into normal range.

But if they had understood possible aftermath of non-tested block they would have implemented two blocks, and switch to older one if misworking was detected.

1 comments

That was before dark silicon and real estate was still somewhat expensive, so probably having two blocks wasn't really an option.