Microprocessor Timeline

Because the Bible tells us the Antichrist will someday achieve total control over the global economy, technological advancements are a necessary factor in his rise to power. The development of the microprocessor is one of the most amazing timelines you can observe. I've compiled a list of the significant milestones Intel Corporation, the world's largest producer of microprocessors, achieved from 1972 to the present day. If you're like me, you may not understand what difference between the speed of a Megahertz (MHz) and a Gigahertz (GHz) represents. All you really need to know is speed comparison. Basic math will tell you 200 MHz is ten times the speed of 20 MHz, and 1 GHz is simply equally to 1000 MHz.

April 1972
Name of Processor: 8008
Clock speed: 200 kilohertz
Number of transistors: 3,500

December 1974
Name of Processor: 8080
Clock speed: 2 MHz
Number of transistors: 6,000
August 1976
Name of Processor: 8085
Clock speed: 5 MHz
Number of transistors: 6,500
September 1978
Name of Processor: 8086
Clock speed: 10 MHz
Number of transistors: 29,000
February 1982
Name of Processor: 286
Clock speed: 12 MHz
Number of transistors: 134,000
October 1985
Name of Processor: 386
Clock speed: 16 MHz
Number of transistors: 275,000
February 1987
Name of Processor: 386
Clock speed: 20 MHz
Number of transistors: 275,000
April 1989
Name of Processor: 486
Clock speed: 25 MHz
Number of transistors: 1,200,000
June 1991
Name of Processor: 486
Clock speed: 50 MHz
Number of transistors: 1,200,000
March 1993
Name of Processor: Pentium
Clock speed: 60 MHz
Number of transistors: 3.1 million
March 1994
Name of Processor: Pentium
Clock speed: 75 MHz
Number of transistors: 3.2 million
March 1995
Name of Processor: Pentium
Clock speed: 120 MHz
Number of transistors: 3.2 million
June 1995
Name of Processor: Pentium
Clock speed: 133 MHz
Number of transistors: 3.3 million
January 1996
Name of Processor: Pentium
Clock speed: 166 MHz
Number of transistors: 3.3 million
June 1996
Name of Processor: Pentium
Clock speed: 200 MHz
Number of transistors: 3.3 million
May 1997
Name of Processor: Pentium II
Clock speed: 300 MHz
Number of transistors: 3.3 million
April 1998
Name of Processor: Pentium II
Clock speed: 400 MHz
Number of transistors: 7.5 million
August 1998
Name of Processor: Pentium II
Clock speed: 450 MHz
Number of transistors: 7.5 million
August 1999
Name of Processor: Pentium III
Clock speed: 600 MHz
Number of transistors: 9.5 million
October 1999
Name of Processor: Pentium III
Clock speed: 733 MHz
Number of transistors: 28 million
January 2000
Name of Processor: Pentium III
Clock speed: 800 MHz
Number of transistors: 28 million
March 2000
Name of Processor: Pentium III
Clock speed: 1.0 GHz
Number of transistors: 28 million
November 2000
Name of Processor: Pentium 4
Clock speed: 1.5 GHz
Number of transistors: 42 million
April 2001
Name of Processor: Pentium 4
Clock speed: 1.7 GHz
Number of transistors: 42 million
Aug 2001
Name of Processor: Pentium 4
Clock speed: 2 GHz
Number of transistors: 42 million
Jan 2002
Name of Processor: Pentium 4
Clock speed: 2.2 GHz
Number of transistors: 42 million
Jun 2002
Name of Processor: Pentium 4
Clock speed: 2.53 GHz
Number of transistors: 55 million
Aug 2002
Name of Processor: Pentium 4
Clock speed: 2.8 GHz
Number of transistors: 55 million
Nov 2002
Name of Processor: Pentium 4
Clock speed: 3.0 GHz
Number of transistors: 55 million
Jun 2003
Name of Processor: Pentium 4
Clock speed: 3.2 GHz
Number of transistors: 55 million
Feb 2004
Name of Processor: Pentium 4
Clock speed: 3.4 GHz
Number of transistors: 55 million

July 2006
Name of Processor: Core 2 Duo
Level 2 cache 4 MB
Number of transistors: 253 million

Nov 2006
Name of Processor: Core 2 Extreme QX6700
Level 2 cache 8 MB
Number of transistors: 582 million
Multi-core Era
2008
Microprocessor giant Intel on Monday provided the first details of its next microprocessor architecture, codenamed Larrabee, which will combine multiple processor cores with graphics processing functionality. The first Larrabee processors will appear in late 2009 or early 2010, Intel says. Intel describes the Larrabee processor family as being "many-core" chips that will utilize an array of many processors, probably 16 to 48 cores per chip at the start. (Today's PCs typically utilize microprocessors with 2 or maybe 4 processor cores.) But because the Larrabee chips will be based on the family x86 processor instruction set used by today's PCs and servers, the chip will be backwards compatible with today's software.
December- A team led by Intel researchers created a silicon-based Avalanche Photodiode (APD) to achieve a "gain-bandwidth product" of 340 GHz. Intel claims this is "the best result ever measured for this key APD performance metric" and allows lower-cost optical links running at data rates of 40Gbps or higher. The research was jointly funded by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Numonyx, a flash memory chip maker, provided manufacturing and process development.(CNET News)

2009

Microprocessor Use Increased Worldwide in Q3 2009 Market
Internet reports overall show that the global market of central processing units (CDUs) reached a significant surge both in terms of units and revenues. Microprocessors for mobile applications were frontrunners in terms of growth.

2010

IBM Touts Fastest Microprocessor
On August 24, 2010 IBM revealed details of its 5.2-GHz chip. IBM executives described the z196, which will power its Z-series of mainframes, which can cost several hundreds of thousands of dollars, or even a million. IBM defines the z196 as one of the few remaining CISC chips, which allows for bulky, large programs that can require much more memory to execute in than RISC chips, including the PowerPC and ARM embedded processors, among others.

Intel Introduces Mobile Pentiums
Core 13-300M and Core i5-460M - On September 27, 2010 Intel ark database (ark.intel.com) was updated with specifications or microprocessors are now available. In addition to 8 Core i5, Core i7 and Mobile Celeron CPUs.

MIPS Technologies Announces New IP Processor
On September 27, 2010 MIPS Technologies introduced a new multipurpose IP core MIPS32 1074K CPS (Coherent Processing System). The IP processor targets multiple and varied internet-connected devices and home networking products such as digital TVs, set-top boxes and combined with standard cells and memories, can be used to build custom microprocessor products with 1-4 cores, operating at frequencies up to 1.5 GHz.

2011

Dell Announces Energy-Efficient Microserver Series
On March 22 Dell announced PowerEdge C5000 generation of servers that combine energy efficiency with high-density form factor. These types of dedicated systems do not require large amounts of memory and can be powered by a single CPU.

2012

Processors: What to Expect From CPUs in 2012
What does the future hold for processors? More speed and less power consumption; Ivy Bridge, Piledriver, and Tegra 3. In the desktop and laptop markets, there are two major players: Intel and AMD. Of the two, Intel has gained more traction in 2012, bringing a number of powerful, popular components to market--with the promise of even much more to come in the next year.

Intel to Push Mobility in Competitive PC, Tablet
Sep 7, 2012: Intel announced that it will make a strong mobile expansion at the Intel Developer Forum next week as the company works to remain relevant in a competive market where tablets and smartphones are becoming a popular alternative to PCs for everyday computing.