The document discusses the 8251A USART chip, which can be used for both asynchronous and synchronous serial communication. It describes the basic components and functions of the 8251A chip, including its transmitter and receiver sections that convert parallel to serial data and vice versa. The document also explains the differences between asynchronous and synchronous serial communication and covers various control signals and registers used by the 8251A for data transfer and interfacing with external devices like modems.