# This Week in Electronics History: The 1st Microprocessor

- Show: [EE Times Current](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current)
- Published: 2021-11-19
- Length: 17m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2021-11-19-this-week-in-electronics-history-the-1st-microprocessor
- Listen: https://www.eetimes.com/podcasts/wb-ep162/

## Summary

Brian Santo, editor-in-chief of EE Times, recounts the 50th anniversary of the Intel 4004, the first commercial microprocessor introduced in 1971. He details how Federico Faggin, Masatoshi Shima, and Ted Hoff designed the chip for Busicom, leveraging silicon gate technology to fit 2,300 transistors on a single die. The episode highlights Intel's initial lack of understanding of the product's value, Andy Grove's skepticism, and how the 4004 paved the way for Intel's dominance in the microprocessor industry.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2021-11-19-this-week-in-electronics-history-the-1st-microprocessor#t=0) Introduction: 50th Anniversary of the Intel 4004
- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2021-11-19-this-week-in-electronics-history-the-1st-microprocessor#t=0) Recent Industry News: Nvidia/ARM, Perovskites, and Tesla
- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2021-11-19-this-week-in-electronics-history-the-1st-microprocessor#t=0) Intel's Origins: Memory Chips and the Busicom Contract
- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2021-11-19-this-week-in-electronics-history-the-1st-microprocessor#t=0) Federico Faggin's Silicon Gate Innovation
- [10:13](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2021-11-19-this-week-in-electronics-history-the-1st-microprocessor#t=613) Designing the 4004: Transistors and Teamwork

## Topics

- [Chips, FPGAs & semiconductors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/chips-and-fpgas)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Intel (company)
- 4004 (chip)
- Federico Faggin (other)
- Ted Hoff (other)
- Masatoshi Shima (other)
- Busicom (company)
- Andy Grove (other)
- 8080 (chip)
- Xylog (company)
- Nvidia (company)
- ARM (company)
- Tesla (company)
- Ford (company)
- Arduino (product)
- Portenta H7 (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Federico Faggin designed the first microprocessor and the capacitive touchscreen. He joins Go/No-Go to argue that AI cannot be conscious, however capable it becomes.](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/go-no-go/2026-06-26-federico-faggin-designed-the-first-microprocessor-and-the-capacitive-touchscreen) (Go/No-Go)
- [An Interview With Chuck Peddle - Charismatic Chipmaking Coryphaeus](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2015-03-20-an-interview-with-chuck-peddle-charismatic-chipmaking-coryphaeus) (The Amp Hour)
- [376: Left Half of My Brain Is Digital](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2021-06-10-376-left-half-of-my-brain-is-digital) (Embedded.fm)
- [Ep. 26 | Microchip's Steve Sanghi on How to Bring a Company from Debt to Billions](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2021-06-08-ep-26-microchips-steve-sanghi-on-how-to-bring-a-company-from-debt-to-billions) (Moore's Lobby)
- [An Interview with Chuck Peddle (Repeat, in memoriam)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-12-30-an-interview-with-chuck-peddle-repeat-in-memoriam) (The Amp Hour)

## Citing this page

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