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1971:
4004 Microprocessor
The 4004 was Intel's first microprocessor.
This breakthrough invention powered the Busicom calculator and paved
the way for embedding intelligence in inanimate objects as well as
the personal computer. |
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1972:
8008 Microprocessor
The 8008 was twice as powerful as the 4004. A 1974 article in
Radio Electronics referred to a device called the Mark-8 which used the 8008.
The Mark-8 is known as one of the first computers for the home --one that by today's
standards was difficult to build, maintain and operate. |
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1974:
8080 Microprocessor
The 8080 became the brains of the first
personal computer--the Altair, allegedly named for a destination of
the Starship Enterprise from the Star Trek television
show. Computer hobbyists could purchase a kit for the Altair for $395.
Within months, it sold tens of thousands, creating the first PC back
orders in history.
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1978:
8086-8088 Microprocessor
A pivotal sale to IBM's new personal computer
division made the 8088 the brains of IBM's new hit product--the IBM
PC. The 8088's success propelled Intel into the ranks of the Fortune
500, and Fortune magazine named the company one of the
"Business Triumphs of the Seventies." |
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1982:
286 Microprocessor
The 286, also known as the 80286, was
the first Intel processor that could run all the software written
for its predecessor. This software compatibility remains a hallmark
of Intel's family of microprocessors. Within 6 years of it release,
there were an estimated 15 million 286-based personal computers installed
around the world. |
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1985:
Intel386™ Microprocessor
The Intel386™
microprocessor featured 275,000
transistors--more than 100times as many as the original 4004. It was
a 32-bit chip and was "multi tasking," meaning it could run multiple
programs at the same time. |
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1989:
Intel486™ DX CPU Microprocessor
The 486™
processor generation really meant you go from a
command-level computer into point-and-click computing. "I could have
a color computer for the first time and do desktop publishing at a
significant speed," recalls technology historian David K. Allison
of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. The Intel486™
processor was the first to offer a built-in math coprocessor, which
speeds up computing because it offloads complex math functions from
the central processor. |
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1993:
Pentium® Processor
The Pentium® processor allowed computers
to more easily incorporate "real world" data such as speech, sound,
handwriting and photographic images. The name Pentium®, mentioned
in the comics and on television talk shows, became a household word
soon after introduction. |
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1995:
Pentium® Pro Processor
Released in the fall of 1995 the Pentium®
Pro processor is designed to fuel 32-bit server and workstation
applications, enabling fast computer-aided design, mechanical engineering
and scientific computation. Each Pentium® Pro processor is packaged
together with a second speed-enhancing cache memory chip. The powerful
Pentium® Pro processor boasts 5.5 million transistors. |
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1997:
Pentium®
II Processor
The 7.5 million-transistor Pentium®
II processor incorporates Intel MMX™
technology, which is designed specifically to process video, audio
and graphics data efficiently. It was introduced in innovative Single
Edge Contact (S.E.C) Cartridge that also incorporated a high-speed
cache memory chip. With this chip, PC users can capture, edit and
share digital photos with friends and family via the Internet; edit
and add text, music or between-scene transitions to home movies; and,
with a video phone, send video over standard phone lines and the Internet. |
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1998:
Pentium®
II Xeon™ Processor
The Pentium® II XeonTM
processors are designed to meet the performance requirements of mid-range
and higher servers and workstations. Consistent with Intel's strategy
to deliver unique processor products targeted for specific markets
segments, the Pentium® II Xeon™
processors feature technical innovations specifically designed for
workstations and servers that utilize demanding business applications
such as Internet services, corporate data warehousing, digital content
creation, and electronic and mechanical design automation. Systems
based on the processor can be configured to scale to four or eight
processors and beyond. |
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1999:
Celeron® Processor
Continuing Intel's strategy of developing
processors for specific market segments, the Intel Celeron®
processor is designed for the value PC market segment. It provides
consumers great performance at an exceptional value, and it delivers
excellent performance for uses such as gaming and educational software. |
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1999:
Pentium®
III Processor
The Pentium® III processor features
70 new instructions--Internet Streaming SIMD extensions-- that dramatically
enhance the performance of advanced imaging, 3-D, streaming audio,
video and speech recognition applications. It was designed to significantly
enhance Internet experiences, allowing users to do such things as
browse through realistic online museums and stores and download high-quality
video. The processor incorporates 9.5 million transistors, and was
introduced using 0.25-micron technology. |
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1999:
Pentium®
III Xeon™ Processor
The Pentium® III Xeon™
processor extends Intel's offerings to the workstation and server
market segments, providing additional performance for e-Commerce applications
and advanced business computing. The processors incorporate the Pentium®
III processor's 70 SIMD instructions, which enhance multimedia and
streaming video applications. The Pentium® III Xeon™
processor's advance cache technology speeds information from the system
bus to the processor, significantly boosting performance. It is designed
for systems with multiprocessor configurations. |
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2000: Pentium®
4
Processor
Users of Pentium® 4 processor-based PCs can create
professional-quality movies; deliver TV-like video via the Internet; communicate with
real-time video and voice; render 3D graphics in real time; quickly encode music for
MP3 players; and simultaneously run several multimedia applications while connected
to the Internet. The processor debuted with 42 million transistors and circuit lines
of 0.18 microns. Intel's first microprocessor, the 4004, ran at 108 kilohertz
(108,000 hertz), compared to the Pentium® 4 processor's initial speed of 1.5
gigahertz (1.5 billion hertz). If automobile speed had increased similarly over the
same period, you could now drive from San Francisco to New York in about 13 seconds.
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2001:
Intel® Xeon™ Processor
The Intel® Xeon™
processor is targeted for high-performance and mid-range, dual-processor workstations,
dual and multi-processor server configurations coming in the future. The platform offers
customers a choice of operating systems and applications, along with high performance at
affordable prices. Intel Xeon processor-based workstations are expected to achieve
performance increases between 30 and 90 percent over systems featuring Intel®
Pentium III Xeon™ processors depending on applications and configurations.
The processor is based on the Intel NetBurst™ architecture, which is designed
to deliver the processing power needed for video and audio applications, advanced Internet
technologies, and complex 3-D graphics. |
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2001:
Itanium™ Processor
The Itanium™
processor is the first in a family of 64-bit products from Intel. Designed for high-end,
enterprise-class servers and workstations, the processor was built from the ground up with an
entirely new architecture based on Intel's Explicitly Parallel Instruction Computing (EPIC)
design technology. The processor delivers world-class performance for the most demanding enterprise
and high-performance computing applications, including e-Commerce security transactions,
large databases, mechanical computer-aided engineering, and sophisticated scientific and engineering
computing. |
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