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Tom’s Hardware
Tom’s Hardware
Technology
Mark Tyson

Pat Gelsinger explains how his initials ended up etched into every i386 processor ever made — ex-Intel CEO bluffed Andy Grove to keep his mark on the legendary chip’s silicon

Intel 386 die detail showing the 'PG' initials.

Pat Gelsinger has shared the story of how his initials remained on the Intel 386 silicon die, despite them being spotted by the top brass during a pre-production design review session. Creating such inscriptions "was not done," during this era at Intel, remembers Gelsinger. Nevertheless, the legendary true-blue Intel man says he uttered “some complete nonsense about substrate tap configuration experiments” to swerve a comment on the 'PG' silicon markings by the gruff (then-CEO) Andy Grove. The end result is that Pat Gelsinger's initials are etched directly into the silicon of every 386 processor ever made.

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