Historyand
Its Evolution:
The
invention of the transistor in 1947 was a significant development in the world
of technology. It could perform the function of a large component used in a
computer in the early years. Shockley, Brattain and Bardeen are credited with
this invention and were awarded the Nobel prize for the same. Soon it was found
that the function this large component was easily performed by a group of
transistors arranged on a single platform. This platform, known as the
integrated chip (IC), turned out to be a very crucial achievement and brought
along a revolution in the use of computers. A person named Jack Kilby of Texas
Instruments was honored with the Nobel Prize for the invention of IC, which
laid the foundation on which microprocessors were developed. At the same time,
Robert Noyce of Fairchild made a parallel development in IC technology for
which he was awarded the patent.
ICs proved beyond doubt that complex
functions could be integrated on a single chip with a highly developed speed
and storage capacity. Both Fairchild and Texas Instruments began the
manufacture of commercial ICs in 1961. Later, complex developments in the IC
led to the addition of more complex functions on a single chip. The stage was
set for a single controlling circuit for all the computer functions. Finally,
Intel corporation's Ted Hoff and Frederico Fagin were credited with the design
of the firstmicroprocessor.
The work on this project began with an
order from a Japanese calculator company Busicom to Intel, for building some
chips for it. Hoff felt that the design could integrate a number of functions
on a single chip making it feasible for providing the required functionality.
This led to the design of Intel 4004, the world's first microprocessor. The
next in line was the 8 bit 8008 microprocessor. It was developed by Intel in
1972 to performcomplex functions in harmony with the 4004.
This was the beginning of a new era in
computer applications. The use of mainframes and huge computers was scaled down
to a much smaller device that was affordable to many. Earlier, their use was
limited to large organizations and universities. With the advent of
microprocessors, the use of computers trickled down to the common man. The next
processor in line was Intel's 8080 with an 8 bit data bus and a 16 bit address
bus. This was amongst the most popular microprocessors of all time.
Very soon, the Motorola corporation
developed its own 6800 in competition with the Intel's 8080. Fagin left Intel
and formed his own firm Zilog. It launched a new microprocessor Z80 in 1980
that was far superior to the previous two versions. Similarly, a break off from
Motorola prompted the design of 6502, a derivative of the 6800. Such attempts
continued with some modifications in the base structure.
The use of microprocessors was limited
to task-based operations specifically required for company projects such as the
automobile sector. The concept of a 'personal computer' was still a distant
dream for the world and microprocessors were yet to come into personal use. The
16 bit microprocessors started becoming a commercial sell-out in the 1980s with
the first popular one being the TMS9900 of Texas Instruments.
Intel developed the 8086 which still
serves as the base model for all latest advancements in the microprocessor
family. It was largely a complete processor integrating all the required features
in it. 68000 by Motorola was one of the first microprocessors to develop the
concept of microcoding in its instruction set. They were further developed to
32 bit architectures. Similarly, many players like Zilog, IBM and Apple were
successful in getting their own products in the market. However, Intel had a
commanding position in the market right through the microprocessor era.
The 1990s saw a large-scale
application of microprocessors in the personal computer applications developed
by the newly formed Apple, IBM and Microsoft Corporation. It witnessed a
revolution in the use of computers, which by then was a householdentity.
This growth was complemented by a
highly sophisticated development in the commercial use of microprocessors. In
1993, Intel brought out its 'Pentium Processor' which is one of the most
popular processors in use till date. It was followed by a series of excellent
processors of the Pentium family, leading into the 21st century. The latest one
in commercial use is the Pentium Dual Core technology and the Xeon processor.
They have opened up a whole new world of diverse applications. Supercomputers
have become common, owing to this amazing development in microprocessors.
