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Definition: Intel 4004
The first microprocessor on a single chip. Debuting in 1971 and developed by Intel, the architecture was conceived by Marcian "Ted" Hoff, and the silicon circuits were designed by Federico Faggin. Although Texas Instruments had already created a CPU on a chip for a customer, the 4004 was the first to be sold to the general public. Until then, all chips were special purpose and electronic products often needed several chips to operate.
The Calculator Order
The 4004 was a 4-bit, general-purpose CPU initially developed for the Japanese Busicom calculator. Prior to the 4004, custom-designed chips were made for each new model. However, with the 4004, to add new features, only the software had to be updated. Intel acquired the rights to make the 4004 part of its product line.
A Small but Great Start
Given a minuscule 640 bytes of memory to hold the data, the 4004 was very limited. Nevertheless, it was the start of a long line of CPUs from Intel, which got its start as a memory chip manufacturer. See x86, ROM and Intel.
Make It General Purpose
Because the 4004 was general purpose, it could be programmed for any processing task. In those days, computer CPUs were the size of a refrigerator and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Thus began the new world of general-purpose CPUs on a chip, and since then, hundreds of billions have been produced (see microprocessor and microcontroller).
Intel 4004 CPU
The 4004-Based Busicom Calculator
A Half Century of Progress
The Calculator Order
The 4004 was a 4-bit, general-purpose CPU initially developed for the Japanese Busicom calculator. Prior to the 4004, custom-designed chips were made for each new model. However, with the 4004, to add new features, only the software had to be updated. Intel acquired the rights to make the 4004 part of its product line.
A Small but Great Start
Given a minuscule 640 bytes of memory to hold the data, the 4004 was very limited. Nevertheless, it was the start of a long line of CPUs from Intel, which got its start as a memory chip manufacturer. See x86, ROM and Intel.
Make It General Purpose
Because the 4004 was general purpose, it could be programmed for any processing task. In those days, computer CPUs were the size of a refrigerator and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Thus began the new world of general-purpose CPUs on a chip, and since then, hundreds of billions have been produced (see microprocessor and microcontroller).
With only 2,300 transistors, the 4004 launched Intel into the microprocessor business. Running at 740 kHz (today's clocks are 2 GHz+), the 4004 was part of a set that included a 4KB ROM chip for instructions, 640 bytes of RAM and an I/O chip. See clock. (Image courtesy of Intel Corporation.)
The product that inspired the 4004. (Image courtesy of AUCTION TEAM BREKER, Cologne, Germany, (c) 2013.)
Today, Intel microprocessors such as this i9 can have billions of transistors (see below). (Image courtesy of Intel Corporation.)
FIFTY YEARS OF INTEL CPUS
4004 Core i9
(1971) (2021)
Transistors 2,300 6,000,000,000
Register bits 4 64
Clock speed 750 kHz 5.2 GHz
Cores 1 16
Threads 1 24
Wafer diameter 2" 11.8"
Node size 10,000 nm 10 nm