Compatible software and hardware implementations permitted by IEEE standards for binary floating-point arithmetic
Harry W. Look · AFIPS conference proceedings · 1984
Zilog's* System 8000, a UNIX*-based system using the Z8000 microprocessor family, incorporates the vision held by the authors of the IEEE 754 Standard for binary floating-point arithmetic. Floating-point implementation can be realized entirely in software with Zilog's Z8070 Software Emulator, or entirely in hardware with the FFP-8/01 processor board or the Z8070 chip. Each of these implementations is examined separately. Because the IEEE standard specifies numerical precision and exception handling, the user can choose either the software or the hardware implementation without any sacrifice in the accuracy of the results. And as the hardware availability increases and the cost decreases, floating-point operations can be easily transported from software to hardware for increased performance.