The Microprocessor that changed the World

In the Spring of 1970, Intel hired Italian-American physicist Federico Faggin, who earned his paycheck almost immediately by leading the design team for Intel’s newest technology, the 4004 microprocessor.  Fresh off his success at Fairchild Semiconductor where he created the MOS silicon gate technology that would be featured and amplified on the 4004, Faggin devised several new technological advances in the chip including random logic, the basis of most modern chip design.  

By the spring of 1971 the new chip was working, and was unveiled to the public in a print ad (above) that came out in the November 15 edition of Electronic News.  The chip was first used in the Busicom 141-PF calculator.  The 4004 microprocessor is considered the first commercially viable chip sold.  This technology was so new in 1970-71 that the word microprocessor itself was only two years old, first used by Viatron Computer Systems in 1968 when describing their custom integrated circuit used in their System 21 small computer system. The word microprocessor was a mashup of the Ancient Greek micro- (μικρός) meaning small and the Latin agent noun processor from process, first used in English in 1909.

“4004 arch” by Appaloosa - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons.

“C4004 (Intel)” by Photo by John Pilge. - en.wikipedia.org. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons.