15) [4004] by Japan-US Co-development
Picture A: The world first microprocessor [4004] (Provided by Intel)
Picture B: Development group of four persons who were awarded the 13th
Kyoto Prize
for the invention of microprocessor
(Shima far right and Hoff the third from the right in the center four persons)
(Provided by Inamori Foundation)
(click to enlarge)
Intel, who established their position in the DRAM market only
two years after the company foundation, created big sensation in the industry
by announcing the world first microprocessor [4004 ] (Picture A) in 1971.
The trigger of this invention was the development request from Japanese middle
class calculator manufacturer, Busicom. Yoshio Kojima, President of Busicom,
thought in the situation of tough development competition of calculators,
“We may be able to make different calculators with the same LSI, by replacing
programs stored in the memory. In order to realize this, we might adopt stored
program architecture with software stored in the memory, in a similar way
to large scale computers.” With this idea, he requested the LSI development
to Noyce, who he had known intimately since Fairchild days, knowing that Noyce
founded Intel and keen to new product developments.
In order to develop the new LSI, Masatoshi Shima, who majored in chemistry,
Faculty of Science, Tohoku University, moved to the west coast of the United
States with his three colleagues in June 1969.
The counterpart at Intel was M. Hoff, who was an expert in computer architecture.
He was a very smart person who obtained Ph.D in Electrical Engineering from
Stanford University. Initially he found difficulties with the complexity of
calculator circuitry, but after repeated discussions with Shima and others,
he finally succeeded in the development of logic design which satisfied Busicom’s
specification.
The finished product was 4 bit device using binary code system (Busicom’s
specification was to use decimal system), and the chip size was 3x4 mm square
including 2,300 transistors.
Picture B is the development group who was awarded the 13th Kyoto
Prize for the invention of microprocessor (Shima far right and Hoff the third
from the right in the center four persons)
(Picture A provided by Intel, and Picture B by Inamori Foundation)
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