Intel Marks 30th Anniversary Of The Microprocessor

From the Bathroom Scale to the Powerful PC, Your House is Home to More Than 40 "Chips"

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Nov. 15, 2001 - Movie-goers in 1968 were amazed and enthralled by "HAL," the powerful computer in the science fiction classic "2001: A Space Odyssey." Even with that fantastic preview into the future, personal computers and the Internet were inconceivable.

Not long after the movie was released, Intel engineer Ted Hoff developed a general-purpose logic device for a Japanese manufacturer of calculators. The device became known as the Intel 4004 microprocessor and its 1971 introduction would eventually pave the way for the personal computer and a new way of life for people worldwide.

With 2,300 transistors on an area smaller than a fingernail, the Intel 4004 microprocessor packed as much computing power as the ENIAC*, the first electronic computer that was so large it filled a room when it was built in 1946.

Early uses for the Intel 4004 microprocessor included down-to-earth applications such as automatic traffic light controllers and blood analyzers.

Much has changed since the 4004 microprocessor was introduced. Today's average American household is home to more than 40 microprocessors, also called "chips." You can find these technological marvels in bathroom scales with digital readouts, irons with automatic shutoff switches, the common electric toothbrush and of course, the powerful home PC.

Today's microprocessors have also grown exponentially in computing power. The state-of-the-art Intel® Pentium® 4 processor operates at two billion cycles per second and is approximately 18,000 times more powerful than the 4004 microprocessor. Moreover, Pentium 4 processor-based computers are fueling the latest trends in home computing, including digital video, audio, photography, communications, and 3D graphics and games.

Ralph Bond, Intel's consumer education manager, predicts even more innovation. "We're making significant progress with speech recognition and voice control for home PCs," he said. "Eventually, we may be able to speak to our PCs and have them respond instantly."

Intel and Pentium are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.

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