The Intel 80286 processor introduced in 1982 was an early 16-bit microprocessor that improved upon its predecessor, the 8086. It featured a 24-bit address bus that enabled access to up to 16MB of RAM. The 80286 also introduced memory management and protected mode, allowing for multitasking and preventing applications from accessing memory outside their allocated zones. It had four independent functional units - instruction unit, bus unit, address unit, and execution unit - and operated in both real and protected modes. The 80286 was designed for multi-user, multitasking environments and executed instructions faster than the 8086.