Masthead Corporate Logo
Subscribe eNewsletter Magazines
Search  Advanced

The Mil & Aero Blog

Bookmark this Blog Subscribe to an RSS Feed of this Blog.
<< Home

Middle-age microprocessing


Wednesday, July 23, 2008


Posted by Courtney E. Howard

Intel Corp. celebrated its 40th anniversary last week (July 18th). “Since its founding in 1968, Intel has introduced countless examples of technology innovation -- its crowning breakthrough being the introduction of the microprocessor,” says an Intel representative. Its first 16-bit microprocessor, the 8086,
was introduced 30 years ago under the slogan: “The Dawn of a New Era.” Boy, whoever came up with that slogan hit the nail on the head!

The 8086 was introduced on June 8th, 1978, and yet its influence in the mil-aero industry, among others, will continue indefinitely.

"Intel has a 40-year history of serial technology breakthroughs and innovation," says Paul Otellini, Intel CEO and president. "When we introduced the microprocessor no one could have predicted that the market for PCs would be greater than 350 million units a year. Over the next 40 years, Intel technology will be at the heart of breakthroughs that solve the big problems of health and environment. For Intel this is just the beginning of its journey."

Today’s processor architectures are based on the x86 instruction set, which lies at the core of various chips from Intel, AMD, and others.

Popular, and perhaps even legendary chips--including the Intel 80386, 80486, and Pentium and the AMD Athlon--owe a debt to the original 8086 processor.

Hmm. Is the microcomputer industry over the hill or in its prime?

Post a Comment

0 Comments:

<< Home


Welcome to the lighter side of Military & Aerospace Electronics. This is where our staff recount tales of the strange, the weird, and the otherwise offbeat. We could put news here, but we have the rest of our Website for that. Enjoy our scribblings, and feel free to add your own opinions. You might also get to know us in the process. Proceed at your own risk.

John Keller for MAE
John Keller is editor-in-chief of Military & Aerospace Electronics magazine, which provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronic and optoelectronic technologies in military, space, and commercial aviation applications. A member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since the magazine's founding in 1989, Mr. Keller took over as chief editor in 1995.


Courtney Howard for MAE Courtney E. Howard is senior editor of Military & Aerospace Electronics magazine. She is responsible for writing news stories and feature articles for the print publication, as well as composing daily news for the magazine's Website and assembling the weekly electronic newsletter. Her features have appeared in such high-tech trade publications as Military & Aerospace Electronics, Computer Graphics World, Electronic Publishing, Small Times, and The Audio Amateur.


John McHale for MAE John McHale is executive editor of Military & Aerospace Electronics magazine, where he has been covering the defense Industry for more than dozen years. During that time he also led PennWell's launches of magazines and shows on homeland security and a defense publication and website in Europe. Mr. McHale has served as chairman of the Military & Aerospace Electronics Forum and its Advisory Council since 2004. He lives in Boston with his golf clubs.

Previous Posts

Archives
THE MAE WEBSITE AUTHORS ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CONTENT AND ACCURACY OF THEIR BLOGS, INCLUDING ANY OPINIONS THEY EXPRESS, AND PENNWELL IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR AND HEREBY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL LIABILITY FOR THE CONTENT, ITS ACCURACY, AND OPINIONS THAT MAY BE CONTAINED HEREIN. THE CONTENT ON THE MAE WEBSITE MAY BE DATED AND PENNWELL IS UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO PROVIDE UPDATES TO THE INFORMATION INCLUDED HEREIN.