Intel 4004
Also known as 4004, 4004 microprocessor
4-bit central processing unit; one of the earliest processors made by Intel, made on November 15, 1971
Key facts
- Launched
- November 15, 1971 ; 54 years ago ( November 15, 1971 )
- Marketed by
- Intel
- Designed by
- Intel
- Common manufacturer
- Intel
- Max cpu clock rate
- 740 kHz to 750 kHz
- Data width
- 4 bits
- Address width
- 12 bits (multiplexed)
- Transistors
- 2,300
- Package
- 16-pin dual in-line package
- Socket
- DIP16
- Application
- Busicom calculator, arithmetic manipulation
- Technology node
- 10 μm
- Instruction set
Article
The Intel 4004, released by the Intel Corporation on November 15, 1971, was the first in a long line of Intel central processing units (CPUs). Priced at US$60 (equivalent to $477 in 2025), the chip marked both a technological and economic milestone in computing.
The 4-bit 4004 CPU was the first significant commercial example of large-scale integration, using the abilities of the MOS silicon gate technology (SGT) to integrate the CPU into a single chip. Compared to the existing technology, SGT enabled twice the transistor density and five times the operating speed, making future single-chip CPUs feasible. The MCS-4 chipset design, of which the 4004 was a part, served as a model on how to use SGT for complex logic and memory circuits, accelerating the adoption of SGT by the world's semiconductor industry.