University Of Sulaimaniah

College Of Engineering
Computer Department

4004 Microprocessor

Group: Vare Latif, Noorhan Salah, Solin Sirwan, Shnya Erfan

Supervisor: Mr.Muhammad

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Contents
Introduction:……………………. ............................................................................................... .3
Historical background:................................................................................................................. 4
Importance of 4004 microprocessors: ......................................................................................... 5
Architectural Overview of Intel 4004 microprocessor: ............................................................. 6
Architectural design of Intel 4004: .............................................................................................. 8
Set of Operations of 4004 microprocessors: ............................................................................... 9
Functionality and Applications of the Intel 4004 processor: .................................................. 10
The impact of the Intel 4004 microprocessor on early computing and microprocessor
development ................................................................................................................................. 11
Comparison with Modern Microprocessors: How does the 4004 differ from today’s CPUs?
Evolution of microprocessor technology. .................................................................................. 12
Refrences ………………………………………………………………………………………..15

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Introduction:[1]

The central processing unit (CPU) of a computer or other electronic device is an integrated circuit
known as a microprocessor. It carries out the input/output (I/O), control, logic, and arithmetic
operations that are dictated by a program's instructions. Since their invention, microprocessors
have transformed the technological landscape and are an essential part of contemporary
computing.

The need to produce computing devices that were more compact, effective, and economical
propelled the development of microprocessors in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In 1971, the Intel
4004 the first microprocessor to be sold commercially was unveiled. Originally intended for use
in calculators, this 4-bit CPU showed that a full CPU could be integrated into a single chip.

Microprocessors function by carrying out a program, which is a set of stored instructions. The
microprocessor uses these instructions, which are kept in memory, to carry out different
operations. The arithmetic logic unit (ALU), control unit (CU), and registers are the fundamental
parts of a microprocessor. The CU controls how the processor operates, the ALU carries out
arithmetic and logical operations, and the registers offer short-term data and instruction storage.

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Historical background:[2]

The Intel 4004 microprocessor, introduced in 1971, was the world's first commercially available
microprocessor. It was a 4-bit CPU that could perform 60,000 operations per second and was
initially designed for use in calculators. The 4004 was developed by Intel engineers Federico
Faggin, Ted Hoff, and Stanley Mazor, along with Masatoshi Shima from Busicom. The
microprocessor was a breakthrough in technology, as it integrated the entire CPU onto a single
chip, showcasing the potential of MOS silicon gate technology (SGT) for complex logic and
memory circuits.

When Japanese calculator company Busicom asked Intel to create a set of chips for their new
calculator line in 1969, the project got underway. Ted Hoff suggested a more straightforward and
all-purpose architecture that could be implemented on a single chip in place of the original design,
which called for a complicated collection of chips. Federico Faggin oversaw the 4004's design and
development, applying his knowledge of SGT to accomplish the required integration.

An important turning point in computing history, the Intel 4004 cleared the path for the creation
of increasingly sophisticated microprocessors and the ultimate emergence of personal computers.
The 4004's success showed that it was possible to incorporate a CPU into a single chip, which sped
up the use of microprocessors in a variety of devices, including computers and calculators.

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Importance of 4004 microprocessors:[3]

1. First Commercial Microprocessor: The first microprocessor to be built commercially

was the Intel 4004, which was introduced in 1971. This was a significant turning point in
the development of computer technology.
2. The first microprocessor to pack a whole central processing unit (CPU) onto a single chip
was known as the single-chip CPU. The creation of more portable and effective computing
devices was made possible by this breakthrough.
3. Large-Scale Integration: The 4004 demonstrated the supremacy of MOS silicon gate
technology (SGT), which enhanced performance by enabling the integration of more
transistors on the same chip surface.
4. Basis for Upcoming Microprocessors: The 4004's architecture and design acted as a
template for upcoming microprocessors, hastening the semiconductor industry's adoption
of SGT.
5. Versatility: Originally intended for use in calculators, the 4004's general-purpose
architecture allowed it to be used in a variety of contexts, showcasing the versatility of
microprocessors across a range of industries.

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Architectural Overview of Intel 4004 microprocessor:[1]

The first usage was in calculators Busicom 141-PF, embedded controllers, early computers then
it was used for a wide range of applications (Figure 1).

General specifications of Intel 4004:

• Architecture: 4-bit

• Clock Speed: 740 kHz (0.74 MHz)

• Instruction Cycle: 10.8 µs per cycle

• Transistor Count: 2,300 transistors (built using 10 µm technology)

• Power Supply Voltage: +15V

• Package Type: 16-pin DIP (Dual In-line Package)

(Figure 2) shows Intel 4004 IC.

Pin diagram of Intel 4004: (Figure 3):

The chip has 16 pins, each serving specific functions. The design is DIP (dual in line package)

Key Pin Functions:

Power Supply & Clocking

• VDD (Pin 12): Power supply (+15V).

• VSS (Pin 5): Ground (0V).
• Clock Phases (Pins 6, 7): Two-phase clock input signals for synchronization.
• Sync-Out (Pin 8): Synchronization output.

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Data Bus (Pins 1–4)

• D0, D1, D2, D3: 4-bit bidirectional data bus, all address and data communication between
processor and RAM and ROM occurs on those 4 data lines.

Memory & Control Signals

• CM-ROM (Pin 11): ROM selection signal sent by processor when a data is required from
memory.
• CM-RAM0 to CM-RAM3 (Pins 13-16): Control signals for RAM chips.

Control & Reset

• Reset (Pin 9): Resets the processor. At logic level “1”

• Test (Pin 10): Used for testing the processor.

Why doesn’t Intel 4004 chip have address bus:

Unlike modern microprocessors, the Intel 4004 does not have a dedicated address bus. Instead, it
uses a time-multiplexed 4-bit data bus to transfer both data and addresses, which minimizes the
number of pins required.

Reasoning Behind This Design

• Pin Limitations: The Intel 4004 was a 16-pin chip, which restricted the number of
connections.

• Multiplexing for Efficiency: the 4-bit bus first sends the address, then switches to
send/receive data, reducing the need for extra pins. Unlike modern microprocessors.

• External Address Latch: Memory and peripheral devices used external circuits to decode
addresses, which allowed memory access up to 4KB.

In other words, there is a multiplexer that determines the address and then a decoder that sends
the data to that address.

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Architectural design of Intel 4004:[1]
Basic data flow in (Figure 4) is as following:

1. Instruction Fetch & Decode

• The Program Counter (PC) in the Stack Multiplexer determines the next instruction's
memory address.
• The address is sent through the multiplexed bus to external memory (ROM).
• The fetched instruction is placed in the Instruction Register.
• The Instruction Decoder and Machine Cycle Encoding interprets the instruction and control
data movement.

2. Data Processing & Execution

• If an instruction requires arithmetic or logical operations, data is transferred:

-From the Accumulator or Temporary Register into the ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit).

• The ALU performs operations (addition, subtraction, logical operations) and stores results
back in the Accumulator or Registers.

3. Memory & Register Access

• If the instruction involves memory, the CM-ROM and CM-RAM control signals handle
communication with external RAM/ROM.
• Data is read/written using the 4-bit internal data bus, which connects to the external 4-bit
bidirectional Data Bus (D0-D3).

4. Stack & Register Operations

• The Stack Multiplexer manages subroutine calls and program execution levels by storing
return addresses in the Address Stack (3-level stack).
• The Register Multiplexer allows selection between 16 index registers for temporary
storage.

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5. Control & Synchronization

• The Timing and Control Unit generates essential signals, including:

• Clock Phases (Ph1, Ph2) for synchronization.

• Sync, Reset, and Test Signals for system control.

• Memory control signals (ROM/RAM Control) for managing external memory operations.

Set of Operations of 4004 microprocessors:

• Arithmetic Operation (Addition, Subtraction, Increment, Decrement, Complement).

• Logical Operations (AND, OR, XOR, NOT)
• Data Transfer (Load, store, move, exchange)

Schematic Overview:

(Figure 5) shows the schematic overview of Intel 4004 microprocessor, understanding the
schematic view helps in understanding the basic functions of the microprocessor, can be used to
optimize and enhance its features for future researching.

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Functionality and Applications of the Intel 4004 processor:

The Intel 4004 microprocessor, which was introduced in 1971, was the first commercially
available CPU on a single chip. While it was initially designed for a calculator, its importance
extended far beyond the initial application. We have mentioned the technical specifications of this
specific microprocessor chip, so now let us dive into the major applications of the Intel 4004.

1-The first major application for this microprocessor was the Busicom 141-pf (figure 1) calculator,
which caused an evolutionary point in computing technology. This calculator was quite limited by
todays standard, it could not display the results digitally, instead all the results would be printed
on a roll of paper. It worked with fixed point numbers. A selecting slider on the keyboard showed
how many points would be used after the decimal point.[4]

2-Another application of this microprocessor was its use in control system, which is a set of devices
that control the behavior of other devices, this works on the principle of the inputprocess-output
cycle. The Intel 4004 chip was used in control systems such as traffic lights and typewriters, their
use in traffic lights (like the Plessy System 250 traffic signal controller) was responsible for
controlling the timing of the lights. It commanded how long each color (red, green, yellow) should
stay based on pre-programmed commands. Intel 4004 was also used in the Smith Corona Marchant
(SCM) CTP 2200 electronic terminal (figure 5), which was a typewriter that provided advanced
features such as automatic justification and proportional spacing in real-time, these features where
available due to the combination of CM’s advanced typetronic keyboard mechanism and the
4004’s processing power.

3-Embedded Systems: embedded systems are a combination of hardware and software designed
for a specific purpose, the Intel 4004 was the foundation of many earlier embedded systems, such
as the Busicom calculator, in which the microprocessor performed all the arithmetic calculations
and controlled the display of results (which was covered earlier). Other examples on the use of
Intel 4004 in embedded systems are products like watches, home applications, and game consoles.
In these products the microprocessor was responsible for managing and controlling the display and
the buttons, or even processing inputs from external devices, this meant that these devices could
become more affordable, reliable and compact, which opened the door for the automation of
devices and advancement of computing power.[1]

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The impact of the Intel 4004 microprocessor on early computing and
microprocessor development

We have covered the applications of the Intel 4004 microprocessor, and now we will discuss the
impact of the Intel 4004 on the microprocessor industry. The Intel 4004 was a revolutionary
product that laid the foundation for the microprocessor industry, it had a profound impact on the
field of computing. Here are some of the most key impacts:

1- Miniaturization of computing systems: which is the process of replacing very large bulky
things into something very small using modern technology, the Intel 4004 integrated all the
essential processing functions into a single chip.

2- Democratizing computing: which means making things available for everyone, here the Intel
4004 helped in the making of creating small, low-cost devices that could perform basic computing
devices, along with the other applications mentioned before, which led to the enhancement of
technology to what we see today of smart devices and so on.

3-Foundation for future microprocessors: The successful launch of this microprocessor provided a
layout for future microprocessors. It established Intel as the leader in the semiconductor industry, which
then led to the development of more powerful processors like 8008 and 8080 and other powerful processors
used in everything.

4- Impact on automation and control systems: as declared above, the Intel 4004 had a great impact on
the improvising of the embedded and control system, which assisted in the automation of everything.[3, 5]

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Comparison with Modern Microprocessors: How does the 4004 differ from
today’s CPUs? Evolution of microprocessor technology.[3]

Modern
Feature Intel 4004 Microprocessors
(e.g., Apple M2, AMD
Ryzen 9, Intel Core i9)
Architecture and 4-bit architecture, 740kHz 64-bit architecture, 3-5 GHz
processing power (0.74MHz) clock speed, 2,300 clock speed, billions of
transistors, 46 instructions transistors, advanced
instruction sets.
Memory and storage 640 bytes RAM, 4KB ROM, Support for tens of GBs
no onboard storage DDR4/DDR5 RAM, multi-
level cache, high speed SSDs
and NVMe storage in TBs.
Power consumption 1 Watt, relatively inefficient 15-150 watts, highly
optimized for
performance/watt
Applications Calculators, cash registers, Smartphones, laptops, serves,
simple control systems gaming consoles, AI systems,
supercomputers.
Manufacturing Process 10μm process node, 2,300 5nm, 3nm, or smaller process
transistors node, billions of transistors
Cost and accessibility 60$ at launch (~$400 today), $50 to $1000+, widely
limited use cases available

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Figure 1: the calculator that used Intel 4004 microprocessor

Figure 2: Intel 4004 IC.

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 Figure 3: Pin diagram Intel 4004
.

Figure 4: Architectural overview of Intel 4004

Figure 5: the Smith Corona Marchant CTP 2200

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References:
[1] I. Corporation, "4004 SINGLE CHIP 4-BIT P-CHANNEL MICROPROCESSOR," 1987.
[2] M. E. H. J. Federico Faggin, Stanley Mazor, Masatoshi Shima. "The History of the 4004."
(accessed.
[3] K. Krewell. "The Intel 4004 at 50." (accessed.
[4] "Bytecode and the Busicom." (accessed.
[5] G. Gilder, Microcosm: The Quantum Revolution in Economics and Technology. Simon &
Schuster. . 2000.

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