A
HISTORY OF THE MICROPROCESSOR
The microprocessor, or central processing unit (CPU) is
one of the key components of a computer. It’s the
engine that springs into action when you turn your computer
on, the ‘brain’ if you like. A microprocessor
is described by three basic parameters; the instruction
set, bandwidth (the number of bits processed in a single
instruction) and clock speed (how many instructions per
second the processor can execute). The bigger the bandwidth
and clock speed, the faster your computer can run.
The
Beginnings…
The
Intel 4004 was the first single chip microprocessor,
introduced in 1971. Ted Hoff invented it, with the help
of Frederico Faggin. The 4004 combined all the main
parts of a computer's thinking process - the central
processing unit, input and output controls and its memory
- and put them all into one small component. It was
felt in the late 1960s by many in the industry that
a chip using integrated circuit technology was not viable,
but Hoff, who had been asked to design chips for the
Japanese calculator company, Busicom,
thought that it would be ideal for operating different
calculator models. With this integrated method, one
chip could be programmed differently, depending on what
was required from it.
It was able to process data in 4 bits, but its instructions
were 8 bits long. The 4004 had 46 instructions, using
only 2300 transistors in a 16-pin DIP (dual in-line
package - a type of chip). It had a clock rate of 740kHz.
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