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Hardware

Photos: 50 years of Intel innovations

By Conner Forrest March 28, 2016, 1:06 PM PDT

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Photos: 50 years of Intel innovations

1. MOS 1101 - 1969

Image: Intel

1. MOS 1101 - 1969

In light of the recent passing of former Intel CEO Andy Grove, and the 40th anniversary of the microprocessor, here’s a look back at Intel’s top contributions to the field.

Just one year after Boy Noyce and Gordon Moore started Intel, the company launched the 1101, its first metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) static RAM.

Image: Intel
Photos: 50 years of Intel innovations

2. 4004 - 1971

Image: Intel

2. 4004 - 1971

The same year Intel introduced its EPROM technology, it also launched its first microprocessor, the 4004. It was initially advertised in the publication Electronic News.

Image: Intel
Photos: 50 years of Intel innovations

3. 8008 - 1972

Image: Intel

3. 8008 - 1972

Intel’s first 8-bit processor, the 8008, made its debut in 1972.

Image: Intel
Photos: 50 years of Intel innovations

4. PL/M - 1973

Image: Intel

4. PL/M - 1973

In 1973, Intel developed a high-level language for microprocessors called PL/M. It was developed by Gary Kildall, and featured hardware-specific features that made is easier to use with microprocessors.

Image: Intel
Photos: 50 years of Intel innovations

5. 8080 - 1974

Image: Intel

5. 8080 - 1974

The next year Intel launched the 8080 processor, with 4,500 transistors and 10x performance of previous models. It eventually found its way into everyday items like traffic lights.

Image: Intel
6-isbc8010.jpg
6-isbc8010.jpg
Photos: 50 years of Intel innovations

6. iSBC 80-10 - 1976

6. iSBC 80-10 - 1976

The world’s first single-board computer, Intel’s iSBC 80/10, came about in 1976. Intel originally billed it as the “lowest-cost computer system solution for OEM applications.”

Photos: 50 years of Intel innovations

7. The cooperative Ethernet project - 1980

Image: Bob Metcalfe

7. The cooperative Ethernet project - 1980

In 1980, Intel partnered with Xerox and DEC on the cooperative Ethernet project to advocate for LAN communication.

Image: Bob Metcalfe
Photos: 50 years of Intel innovations

8. 8088 - 1981

Image: Intel

8. 8088 - 1981

Intel’s 8088 was the processor chosen by IBM to power its PC line.

Image: Intel
Photos: 50 years of Intel innovations

9. 80286 - 1982

Image: Intel

9. 80286 - 1982

Also known as the 286, the 80286 microprocessor helped further drive the growing PC market.

Image: Intel
Photos: 50 years of Intel innovations

10. iPSC/1 - 1985

Image: Intel

10. iPSC/1 - 1985

Using multiple 286 microprocessors, Intel built the iPSSC/1, its first supercomputer, in 1985. This was later followed up by the iPSC/2.

Image: Intel
Photos: 50 years of Intel innovations

11. 386 - 1985

Image: Intel

11. 386 - 1985

Intel’s 386 was a 32-bit chip that launched in 1985. Its big value was the fact that it could manage running multiple software programs simultaneously.

Image: Intel
Photos: 50 years of Intel innovations

12. NetPort - 1990

Image: Intel

12. NetPort - 1990

The first generation of Intel’s NetPort print servers entered the world in 1990. These allowed printers to be shared more easily by multiple PC users.

Image: Intel
Photos: 50 years of Intel innovations

13. 82420 - 1992

Image: Intel

13. 82420 - 1992

The 82420 chipset, introduced for use with the 486 processor, helped Intel move from its position as a manufacturer and provider of components, to one of the defining forces in PC systems.

Image: Intel
Photos: 50 years of Intel innovations

14. Pentium processor - 1993

Image: Intel

14. Pentium processor - 1993

Containing more than three million transistors and boasting five times more power than the 486, the Pentium marked a new generation of processors for Intel. The first-generation Pentium processor arrived in 1993.

Image: Intel
Photos: 50 years of Intel innovations

15. LANDesk - 1994

Image: Intel

15. LANDesk - 1994

In 1994, Intel brought its LANDesk network manager software product to market. Intel later sold the LANDesk products in 2002.

Image: Intel
Photos: 50 years of Intel innovations

16. StrongARM - 1998

Image: Intel

16. StrongARM - 1998

Intel’s first low-power processors based on the company’s StrongARM technology came about in 1998, powering products like this Intel Web Tablet. Despite Intel being early to market, ARM surpassed Intel with the growth of the smartphone market.

Image: Intel
Photos: 50 years of Intel innovations

17. Pentium III - 1999

Image: Intel

17. Pentium III - 1999

Intel’s 32-bit Pentium III microprocessors hit the market in February 1999. The series was accompanied by the Celeron series on the low end and the Xeon series on the high end.

Image: Intel
Photos: 50 years of Intel innovations

18. Pentium 4 - 2000

Image: Intel

18. Pentium 4 - 2000

The Pentium 4 was based on the NetBurst microarchitecture, which was the first microarchitecture from the company since its P6.

Image: Intel
Photos: 50 years of Intel innovations

19. XScale - 2000

Image: Toradex

19. XScale - 2000

The year 2000 also saw the introduction of the XScale microarchitecture. XScale was important because of its focus on wireless communication. This Colibri PXA270 is based on the XScale architecture.

Image: Toradex
Photos: 50 years of Intel innovations

20. PXA800F - 2003

Image: Intel

20. PXA800F - 2003

With the rise of cell phones, Intel announced the PXA800F microchip in 2003. In the original press release, Intel called it the “‘Wireless-Internet-On-A-Chip’ For Cell Phones.”

Image: Intel
Photos: 50 years of Intel innovations

21. Centrino - 2003

Image: Intel

21. Centrino - 2003

Originally codenamed “Carmel,” Centrino was introduced by Intel in 2003. Centrino was important because of its integrated wireless LAN.

Image: Intel
Photos: 50 years of Intel innovations

22. Intel Inside Macintosh - 2005

Image: CNET

22. Intel Inside Macintosh - 2005

The year 2005 marked the transition of Apple’s move from PowerPC to Intel processors, which came to fruition the following year. The move is seen by some as one of the key changes that helped Apple rise in popularity.

Image: CNET
Photos: 50 years of Intel innovations

23. Quad-core processor - 2006

Image: Intel

23. Quad-core processor - 2006

In 2006, Intel delivered the first quad-core processor for desktops and servers.

Image: Intel
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Photos: 50 years of Intel innovations

24. Atom - 2008

Image: Intel

24. Atom - 2008

Intel’s next-generation low-power processor was the Atom, which came out in 2008. Originally geared toward netbooks, Atom processors can now be found in smartphones.

Image: Intel
Photos: 50 years of Intel innovations

25. Ultrabook - 2011

Image: Intel

25. Ultrabook - 2011

Basically the PC knock-off version of a MacBook Air, the ultrabook was announced by Intel in 2011 as a three year project. Now, the PC industry has adopted the moniker to refer to most new laptops.

Image: Intel
Photos: 50 years of Intel innovations

26. Ivy Bridge - 2012

Image: Intel

26. Ivy Bridge - 2012

In April 2012, Intel released the Ivy Bridge line of processors. Ivy Bridge processors were backwards compatible with Sandy Bridge and based on the 22nm manufacturing process.

Image: Intel
Photos: 50 years of Intel innovations

27. Haswell - 2013

Image: Intel

27. Haswell - 2013

Originally launched at the Computex trade show in Taipei, the fourth generation of Intel’s core series is known as Haswell.

Image: Intel
28-corem.jpg
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Photos: 50 years of Intel innovations

28. Core M - 2014

Image: Intel

28. Core M - 2014

At IFA 2014, Intel’s Kirk Skaugen delivered a keynote where he announced the Core M processors. Core M was known for its low power consumption and was geared toward 2-in-1 laptops.

Image: Intel
Photos: 50 years of Intel innovations

29. Skylake - 2015

Image: Shara Tibken/CNET

29. Skylake - 2015

Also debuting at IFA, this time in 2015, the Skylake microarchitecture processors will be able to power even smaller laptops and better support 4K video.

Image: Shara Tibken/CNET
Photos: 50 years of Intel innovations

30. Broadwell-E - 2016?

Image: Ben Fox Rubin/CNET

30. Broadwell-E - 2016?

The next innovation in Intel’s lineup is a rumored 10-core i7 processor known as the Broadwell-E. It will allegedly be debuted at Computex 2016 in Taipei, but nothing’s confirmed yet.

Image: Ben Fox Rubin/CNET
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By Conner Forrest
Conner is a former Senior Editor for TechRepublic. He is now a Senior Research Analyst at 451 Research.
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