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Evolution of Microprocessors

Nyang’acha John Omwando

Department of Mechanical Engineering

COETEC

EAE 2103:Introduction to computer system

Alphonce Nduva

October 22,2024
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The microprocessor is nothing but the CPU and it is an essential component of the

computer . It is a silicon chip that comprises millions of transistors and other electronic components

that process millions of instructions per second. A microprocessor is a versatile chip, that is combined

with memory and special-purpose chips and preprogrammed by software. It accepts digital data as i/p

and processes it according to the instructions stored in the memory. The microprocessor has many

functions like functions of data storage,interact with various other devices, and other time-related

functions. But ,the main function is to send and receive the data to make the function of the computer

well.

It is programmable in a way to read binary instructions from memory and then execute

the task to deliver the needed output. It is useful for storing data,device interaction,and

sending/receiving data simultaneously. A microprocessor has many components like

transistors,registers,and diodes which come together to perform. The ability of the technology has

become more complex with technology evolution. The functionality has become better and the speed

has become faster. All devices need an interface to handle data that only a microprocessor provides.

First Generation – 4bit Microprocessor

In 1971,the intel corporation came out with the first generation of microprocessor namely Intel 4004(4-

bit) . The speed of the processor was 740kHz taking 60k instructions per second. It had 2300 transistors

and 16 pins inside. Built on a single chip,it was useful fo simple arithmetic and logical operations. A

control unit was there to understand the instructions from the memory and execute the task.
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Second Generation – 8bit Microprocessor

In 1973, Intel began the second generation as the 8-bit microprocessor. It was useful for arithmetic and

logic operations on 8-it words. The first processor was 8008 with a clock speed of 500kHz and 50k

instructions per second. Followed by an 8080 microprocessor in 1974 with a speed of 2 MHz and 60k

instruction per second .Lastly came 8085 microprocessor in 1976 having an ability of 769230

instruction per second with 3MHz speed.

Third Generation – 16 bit Microprocessor

It began with 8086-88 microprocessor in 1978 with 4.77 ,8 and 10 MHz speed and 2.5 million

instructions per second. Other inventions were Zilog Z800 and 80286, which came out in 1982 and

could read 4 million instructions per second with 68 pins inside.

Fourth Generation – 32 bit Microprocessor

One of the first ones was the intel 80486 microprocessor of 1986 with 16-100MHz clock speed and 1.2

million transistors with 8KB of cache memory. Followed by the PENTIUM microprocessor in 1993

which had 66MHz clock speed and 8-bit of cache memory.

Fifth Generation -64 bit Microprocessor

Began in 1995,the pentium processor was one of the first 64-bit processors with 1.2GHz to 3GHz clock

speed. There were 291 million transistors and 64kb instructions per second. Followed by 13,15,17

microprocessors in 2007,2009,2010 respectively.

Features of Microprocessors

 Low in cost

 Generate less heat

 High speed

 Consumes low power

 Portable

 Small in size

 Versatile

 Reliable

Types of Microprocessors

1. Complex instruction set microprocessor – This processor can do tasks like

downloading,uploading,and recalling data from memory. Also can perform complex

mathematical calculations in a single command .Example:IBM 370/168, VAX 11/780

2. Reduced instruction set microprocessor – They are designed to reduce the execution time by

using the simplified instruction set. They can carry out small things in specific commands at

faster rate. They require only one clock cycle to implement a result at uniform execution time.

To access the memory location LOAD and STORE instructions are used. Example :power PC

601,604,615,620.

3. Superscalar microprocessor – These processors can perform many tasks at a time. They can

be used for ALUs and multiplier-like arrays. They have multiple operation units and perform

tasks by executing multiple commands

4. Application-specific integrated circuit – These processors are application-specific like

personal digital assistant computers. They are designed according to proper specifications.

5. Digital signal multiprocessor – These processors are used to convert signals like analog to

digital or digital analog. The chips of these processors are used in many devices such as

RADAR SONAR home theatres.

Advantages of Microprocessors

I. High processing speed

II. Compact size

III.Easy maintenance

IV. Can perform complex mathematics

V. Flexible

VI. Can be improved according to a requirement

VII. Brings intelligence to the system

Disadvantages of Microprocessors

I. Overheating due to continuous use

II. The data size decides the performance

III.Larger than micro-controllers

IV. Doesn’t support floating-point operations

References

Agarwal, T. (2015, March 9). Evolution of Microprocessor - Types and Applications. ElProCus -

Electronic Projects for Engineering Students. https://www.elprocus.com/evolution-of-

microprocessor-with-applications/

Ayusharma. (2018, August 7). Evolution of Microprocessors. GeeksforGeeks.

https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/evolution-of-microprocessors/

DATAFLAIR TEAM. (2021, May 26). What is Microprocessor - Evolution, Types, Applications and

Working. DataFlair. https://data-flair.training/blogs/basics-of-microprocessor-evolution-types-

applications-working/

Kogatam, S. (n.d.). The Birth, Evolution and Future of Microprocessor.

https://www.sjsu.edu/people/robert.chun/courses/CS247/s4/M.pdf