The Intel 8080 was launched in April 1974. With just a few weeks left before the year ended, the company finally decided to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the product that, according to Intel, “created the microprocessor market”. Although it was not the first product of its kind, it was this version that managed to reach a more widespread audience for the first time.
“The 4004 and 8008 suggested (the market), but the 8080 made it real,” declared Federico Faggin, head of design in charge of the Intel 8080 project, as well as its predecessors.
The components mentioned by Faggin were manufactured to order by Intel, for specific use in its customers’ machines. The 4004, for example, was ordered by Busicom for US$60,000, to be used in its printing calculator, the 141-PF.
Receiving feedback from its customers, who were looking for a more flexible processor that could be programmed for more varied tasks, Intel began work on the 8080. The result was an 8-bit component capable of 290,000 operations per second, the equivalent of 10 times more than the 8008. The microprocessor was also made in a 40-pin configuration, to facilitate its connection to more systems.
Intel 8080 highlights leap in processor development
Intel recalls that the 8080 was launched for US$360, primarily for companies. However, the model began to appear on PCs as well, with the MITS Altair 8800 being one of the first, arriving at the time for US$439.
Showing the versatility of the processor, it was also used in an arcade machine, in the game Gun Fight, by the late Midway. Four years later, it was used in another arcade that ended up being much more successful: Space Invaders.
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Finally, as could not be missed, Intel also released a direct comparison between the 8080 and more modern models, from the Core Ultra 200S series. We can see in the graphs that, while the die size increased just over 10 times, other parameters were multiplied in the order of thousands, or millions.
Via: TechPowerUp
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Source: https://www.adrenaline.com.br/intel/intel-8080-completa-50-anos-o-primeiro-microprocessador-mainstream-da-empresa/
