Microprocessor

Microprocessor

A microprocessor designates a processor that has sufficiently miniaturized electronic components to fit in a single integrated circuit. This is the system that allows the execution of instructions from a computer.

• Invented in 1971 by Marcian Hoff and Federico Faggin

Microprocessor © PEXELS 

Invention and evolution of the microprocessor

Invented by a pair of engineers belonging to the company Intel, Marcian Hoff and Federico Faggin, the microprocessor revolutionized its arrival in 1971 the world of computing, because it becomes possible that the various electronic components of a processor hold on a single integrated circuit, which was obviously not the case before the 1970s. Its appearance has led to many advances, such as increasing the speed of operation (the distances between the components being reduced), the increased reliability (less risk of loss of connections between components), reduced energy consumption, but especially the development of much smaller computers: microcomputers.

The characteristics of a microprocessor

A microprocessor is characterized today by different functions. The first is the set of instructions that it can execute, ranging from tens to thousands of different instructions. The second is the complexity of its architecture, which is measured by the number of transistors present: the higher the number, the greater the complexity of the tasks to be processed. The third is the speed of its clock that dictates the pace of work. Finally, the microprocessor is characterized by the number of bits it can handle (4 at its beginning, 128 in 2011). When it was created, it was capable of performing just under a million instructions per second. Today, it deals with more than 10 billion.