The Intel 8086 is a 16-bit microprocessor introduced by Intel in 1978. It was one of the first processors to support a segmented memory architecture, allowing it to access up to 1 megabyte of memory. The 8086 was widely used in early personal computers and laid the foundation for the x86 architecture, which is still prevalent in modern computing. The Intel 8086 features a 16-bit data bus and can execute instructions at a clock speed ranging from 5 to 10 MHz. It supports a variety of addressing modes and has a set of 16 general-purpose registers. Its design influenced many subsequent processors, making it a significant milestone in computer history.