Intel 4004

Intel 4004

The Intel 4004 is a 4-bit microprocessor from microchip manufacturer Intel that was released on November 15, 1971. It is considered the first single-chip microprocessor to be mass-produced and sold on the open market. It is usually referred to as the first microprocessor ever, but this is not correct, as Texas Instruments had already developed a microprocessor as a commissioned work in 1968, but it never went into series production.

Today the 4004 is one of the most sought-after items for chip collectors. The rarest is the C4004 in white ceramic with a gold cap and visible conductor tracks (“gray traces”).