intel

In 1971 Intel developed the world’s first microprocessor, the 4004. The idea for the 4004 microprocessor came from Intel engineer Ted Hoff, who, while working on a series of 12 processing chips for a Japanese calculator company, suggested a central processing unit (CPU) on a single chip. At a size of 0.42 cm by 0.32 cm ( in by  in), the programmable 4004 contained 2,300 transistors and had as much processing power as the first electronic digital computer, ENIAC, which had required 18,000 vacuum tubes and a large room.The 4004 and the 8-bit 8080, introduced in 1974, were used in a number of products, from handheld calculators to traffic lights. The 8080 also powered the first personal computer, the Altair 8800. In 1980 International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) chose the 8-bit 8088 chip for its personal computer line, securing Intel’s position as the world’s top microprocessor manufacturer. The 8088 and its successors helped popularize personal computers.Intel suffered some difficult times in the mid-1980s. In addition to a recession in the semiconductor industry, competitors cut the price of their DRAMs, the memory devices that had been a key product for Intel. The competition forced Intel to close eight plants and to stop producing DRAMs in 1985