CASE STUDY FEDERICO FAGGIN AND INTEL 4004 – November 16th, 2021 ITALY 24 NEWS INTEL 4004, THE FIRST MICROPROCESSOR DESIGNED BY FEDERICO FAGGIN TURNS 50 In November 1971, Intel 4004 was launched inside a Nippon Calculating Machine Corp computer. This microprocessor changed the history of computer science allowing the use of technologies that are common today. Half a century has passed since Intel 4004 became the world’s first commercially available microprocessor. That step in November 1971 was a pivotal moment for the whole of modern computing because it provided the foundation not only for subsequent microprocessors, but also for all the other chip-based technologies we constantly use, such as cloud computing or artificial intelligence. The role of Faggin Among the protagonists of that historical period was the Italian physicist Federico Faggin, who, together with Ted Hoff and Stan Mazor, designed Intel 4004. In 1969 the Nippon Calculating Machine Corp had contacted Intel to build some integrated circuits for the prototype of the Busicom 141-PF computer. The original request was for 12 chips, but the three scientists adapted the original design by making 4 chips, including CPU 4004 which was launched 50 years ago. Continuously evolving project Making comparisons is always useful to understand how technology is evolving. Faggin and his colleagues created a processor that, with a surface comparable to that of a fingernail, guaranteed a computing power equal to that of the first electronic computer, which, in 1946, occupied an entire room. Only at the end of October this year, Intel launched the twelfth generation of microprocessors and these, thanks to their new hybrid architecture with high-efficiency and high-power cores, will be able to guarantee performance at the highest levels on any device. Adapted from: Italy 24 News 10. Answer the questions. Why was the launch of Intel 4004 a pivotal moment? How did Intel’s design differ from the original request of the Nippon Calculating Machine Corp? How does Intel 4004 compare with the 1946 first electronic computer? What is the relationship between Federico Faggin and Intel 4004? 11. Listen to a short biography of Federico Faggin and complete the table. Year Invention Company 1961 Experimental transistorised electronic computer Olivetti Fairchild 3708: the first integrated circuit with SGT 1971 1972 1974 1976 Zilog Inc. 1978 1994 Synaptics Inc. 1999