No photograph is shown for this exhibition. The museum displays an image only where it can show the object honestly.
About this date
Intel released the 4004 in November 1971. Its design team included Federico Faggin, Ted Hoff, Stanley Mazor and Masatoshi Shima.
About credit
The chip was designed for the Japanese calculator company Busicom. Other early processor designs existed for military and aerospace uses.
Chapter II
The world before
Life before the Microprocessor
Computers had processors built from many separate parts, the size of cabinets.
II
The human achievement
How it came about
The 4004 had about 2,300 transistors and ran at 740 kHz. Intel’s 8080 (1974) powered early personal computers, and the 8086 family became the basis of the PC. Apple, Commodore and others used rival designs.
III
Understanding the invention
How it works
The Microprocessor, explained in two steps.
01
Step 01 of 02
Fetch, decode, execute
The processor reads an instruction, works out what it means and does it, billions of times a second.
Fetch, decode, execute
Software decides the task
IV
The transformation
What changed for humanity
Personal computing
Individuals and small firms could own computers.
Everyday devices
Embedded chips control cars, washing machines and medical devices.
Cheap, programmable processors went into computers, cars, appliances and phones.
V
Before and after
Life before and after The Microprocessor
Before
A large institution.
After
A desktop machine at home.
On larger screens, drag the divider (or use the arrow keys) to give more room to the world before or after.
