Revisiting the 4004: Intel's accidental revolution
The chip package that debuted 35 years ago this week upended whole industries. Take a tour of hardware history. Images: 35 years of Intel chip design
A package of three chips, the 4004 could calculate numbers from a program, a task that until then had required larger, bulkier computers. The chip and its successors revolutionized electronics and made Intel a household name around the world, although the company almost lost control of the invention and didn't fully understand its importance for years.
On Monday, the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, Calif., is hosting a symposium commemorating the 35th anniversary. For the 30th anniversary of the 4004 five years ago, CNET News.com interviewed
35 years of Intel chip design
images Here's a look at how Intel chips have evolved--from the 4004 through to the teraflop-ready 80-core prototype of tomorrow.November 13, 2006
Intel's accidental revolution
Thirty years after the birth of the microprocessor, billions of the small chips have been built into everything from cars to children's toys.November 14, 2001
Big changes ahead for microprocessors
For designers working on the next generation of microprocessors, are the laws of physics making Moore's Law into Moore's Curse?November 14, 2001
Intel's employee No. 12
newsmaker Ted Hoff was part of the 4004 team. How does it feel to be a founding father of a multibillion-dollar industry?November 14, 2001
New life for Moore's Law
Emerging technologies could extend the life of the famous principle whose demise has been predicted repeatedly.April 19, 2005
ENIAC: A computer is born
Sixty years ago, the public got its first look at computers--a glimpse that launched an astonishing industry---and at controversies that linger today.Photos: Lights, vacuum tubes, action!
February 13, 2006
ENIAC: The politics of invention
The story behind the big computer--meet the egos that drove its development and its demise.February 13, 2006
The hard drive at 50
Hard drives have come a long way since debuting 50 years ago this week. Do they still have room to shrink? September 11, 2006
Intel eyes nanotubes for future chip designs
Company is experimenting with carbon nanotubes as a possible replacement for copper wires in order to speed connections.November 10, 2006