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== History and evolution ==
===
The 1990s saw the emergence of a class of device called the [[Network Processing Unit]] (NPU). These were offered as being a flexible technology for the implementation of high-speed processing of packet network data. The NPU was offered as a technology that could replace [[ASIC]] and [[FPGA]] designs and reduce development time by replacing costly hardware design and validation with [[software]] development.
NPUs did not have all the market success they hoped for[http://www.instat.com/r/nrep/2004/IN0401340NT.htm]. Nor did they quite meet the promises of broad applicability or ease of use as a result of difficulties mapping NPUs to specific applications[http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0121981576]. Consequently the start-up companies that brought these products to market [[List of defunct network processor companies|are mostly defunct]], a process driven also by the [[1990s]] [[Dot-com bubble|technology market boom and bust]].
=== Emergence of the MPU ===
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