References are numbered in [brackets], which are listed here . A number after the dot gives the page in the source.

Last updated: 2017 April 29.

1980

• IBM's Austin Laboratory in Burlington, Vermont, creates a microprocessor called ROMP (Research/Office Products MicroProcessor) based on Jon Cocke's 801 RISC design. This is the first completed RISC microprocessor. Speed is about 5-10 times faster than any other chip on the market. [606.42]
• The term RISC (reduced instruction set computer) is coined by Professor David Patterson of the University of California in Berkeley. He designs a microprocessor called RISC I. [2018] [606.40]
• Intel introduces the 8087 math coprocessor. [511.309]
• Intel announces the iAPX432 32-bit microprocessor. Intel later builds the 80286 as a step between the 8086 and the 432. [32] [256.212]

Year

• Shipments of Intel 8086 processors during the year: 200,000. [256.214]

1981

February 19

• At the International Solid State Circuits Conference Intel introduces the iAPX432 processor, and begins shipping evaluation sets. The processor comes in three chips, incorporating over 200,000 transistors. Performance is claimed as 2 MIPS. [258.210] [270.164] [1064.246] [1328.D4]

October 12

• Advanced Micro Devices and Intel sign a 10-year technology exchange agreement centering on Intel's x86 microprocessor architecture. [732.73] [1160.D4] (1982 [141] [659.7])

December

• Intel ships the 8087 math coprocessor. [446.504]

1982

February

• Intel introduces the 6 MHz 80286 microprocessor. It uses a 16-bit data bus, 134,000 transistors (1.5 microns), and offers protected mode operation. Initial price is US$360 each, in quantities of 100. It can access 16 MB of memory, or 1 GB of virtual memory. Speed is 0.9 MIPS. ( Later versions operate at 8 MHz, 10 MHz (1.5 MIPS), and 12 MHz (2.66 MIPS). ) [177.102] [296] [540.64] [690.94] [879.116] [947.102] [1635.52] (130,000 transistors [447.144] [477.124]) (June [405.60]) (July [9] [346.263]) (1984 [108] [120])

June

• Intel announces the 80186 microprocessor. [405.60] [1074] [1146.51] (July [9]) (1984 [108] [120])

1983

• Zilog announces the Z80000, a 32-bit microprocessor, with 256 byte on-chip cache, instruction pipelining, memory management, 10-25 MHz speed, for US$150 in 1000 unit quantities. [885.8]
• In Cambridge, England, Advanced RISC Machines begins designing a 16 bit processor. [1058.134]
• Western Design Center introduces the 65C816 processor, a 16-bit extension of the 6502 architecture. [824]
• Rockwell International introduces the R65C02 microprocessor, a CMOS version of the 6502 processor. It also adds a few new instructions. [910]

October

• National Semiconductor begins shipping its 6 MHz 32-bit NS32032 microprocessor. Price is about US$220 each in large quantities. Speed is about 1 MIPS. [364.37] [910.7] [1349.D3]

Year

• Shipments of personal computers using Intel 8088 processors during the year: over 1 million. [1006.D5]

1984

March 9

• Intel and IBM announce a licensing agreement for IBM to manufacture, for its own use, processors based on Intel designs. [879.128] [1342.35]

March

• NEC introduces the 8 MHz V20 microprocessor, the first clone of Intel's 8088. It uses 63,000 transistors. [477.125]
• NEC introduces the 8 MHz V30 microprocessor, the first clone of Intel's 8086. It uses 63,000 transistors. [477.125]

June 28

• Motorola introduces the 16 MHz 68020 processor, a 32-bit version of the 68000, in CMOS, with on-board cache. Estimated performance is 2-3 MIPS. Price is US$487 each. [9] [934] [1349.D1] (1986 [120])

(month unknown)

• Harris Semiconductor announces the 80C88 processor, a CMOS version of Intel's 8088 processor. [951.10]
• Motorola unveils its 68010 CPU chip. [120]
• Intel introduces the 80188 processor. [108] [120]

1985

• National Semiconductor debuts the 32000 32-bit processor. [513]
• In England, Advanced RISC Machines ships a 32-bit ARM processor. Its first application is in an accelerator card for Acorn PCs. [32] [599.15]
• Intel introduces the 80287 math coprocessor. [511.309] (1980 [1064.26])
• Motorola unveils its 68008 CPU chip. [120]
• Intel and IBM sign an agreement allowing IBM to manufacture its own x86 processors and design derivative products, but not to sell them directly on the open market. [979]
• Sun Microsystems begins work on its SPARC processor. [160]
• Intel begins circulating prototype chipsets of the 386 processor. [606.77]

October 16

• Intel introduces the 16 MHz 80386DX microprocessor. It uses 32-bit registers and a 32-bit (16 MHz) data bus, and incorporates 275,000 transistors (1.5 micron width). Initial price is US$299. It can access 4 gigabytes of physical memory, or up to 64 terabytes of virtual memory. Intel spent US$100 million in development costs. [41] [75] [176.74] [177.102] [296] [347.61] [477.125] [540.64] [62] [690.94] [879.116] [900] [940.106] [947.102] [1389.D4] [1635.52] [1897.128]

1986

• AT&T creates the first silicon fabrication of its CRISP architecture CPU, incorporating 172,163 transistors, and operating at 16 MHz. [660.6]
• Inmos releases the T800 Transputer, a RISC processor with integrated floating-point capabilities. [556.24]
• NexGen begins work on the design of a fifth generation x86 processor, called the F86. [206.96] [659.9]
• AT&T produces a 32-bit CISC processor, the WE32100. [660.1]
• Motorola begins work on the 88000 processor. [160]
• MIPS Technologies unveils the 8 MHz R2000 32-bit CPU. With 110,000 transistors, it achieves a speed rating of 5 MIPS. [176.75] (1985 [206.124])
• MIPS Technologies begins volume shipments of the 8 MHz R2000 processor. [160]

August

• Intel ships the 80386 processor. [31] [108]

September 18

• Motorola announces the Motorola 68030 microprocessor. It incorporates about 300,000 transistors. [16] [423.136] [1400.D2]

1987

February

• Intel introduces the 20 MHz 80386DX microprocessor. [62]

April

• Intel finds a problem in the original 80386 processor. [2359.D4]

(month unknown)

• AT&T creates a modified silicon fabrication of its CRISP architecture CPU, operating at 20 MHz. [660.6]
• Intel introduces the 80387 math coprocessor. [511.312]
• Motorola unveils the 68030 microprocessor. [120]
• Zilog announces the Z180 processor, integrating serial input/output, direct memory accessing, memory management, and a new multiply instruction. Speed is 6-10 MHz at 5 volts. [824]

July

• Zilog announces the 16-bit Z280 processor, integrating a 256 byte instruction cache and memory management. Speed is 10-12 MHz at 5 volts. [32] [824]

August 11

• Advanced Micro Devices introduces its own processor compatible with Intel's 80286. AMD claims its processor is 28% faster. [1402.D4]

1988

• Apple Computer pays AT&T Microelectronics to develop a low-power, second-generation version of AT&T's C-machine Reduced Instruction Set Processor (CRISP), for use in Apple Computer's pen-based system. [660.1]

April

• Intel introduces the 25 MHz 80386DX microprocessor. Speed is 8.5 MIPS. [62]
• Weitek introduces the Weitek 3167 math coprocessor chip as an enhancement to Intel's 386 CPU. The 3167 is a single chip equivalent to Weitek's earlier 1167 circuit board coprocessor. [511.319]
• Motorola unveils the 88000 processor. [160]

June

• Intel introduces the 16 MHz 80386SX microprocessor, like the 80386 but with a 16-bit data bus. Price is US$219 each, in quantities of 100. Speed is 2.5 MIPS. [177.103] [296] [477.126] [540.64] [62] [627.82] [879.117] (July [1255])
• The computer industry is hit with a world-wide shortage of microprocessors. [1200.1-14]

(month unknown)

• Motorola releases the 33 MHz 68030 processor. Price is US$697 in 100-unit quantities. [1148.36]
• Intel ships the i960KB, a quasi-RISC processor. [556.24]
• NexGen begins work on the Nx586, an x86-class processor with performance advantages of RISC processing. [776.57]
• An engineering task force at Digital Equipment begins project Alpha, to develop a new processor architecture to succeed the VAX. [2027.61] [754.141] (begins in mid-1989 [661.7])

1989

January

• Intel introduces the 20 MHz 80386SX microprocessor. Speed is 2.5 MIPS. [62]

April 4

• IBM announces that it began manufacturing a version of the 80386 processor several months ago. [2164.D4]

April 10

• At the Comdex show, Intel announces the 25 MHz i486 microprocessor. It integrates the 386, 387 math coprocessor, and adds an 8 kB primary cache. It uses 1.2 million transistors, employing 1-micron technology. Initial price is US$900. Speed is 20 MIPS. Bus speed is 25 MHz. [16] [75] [176.75] [177.103] [296] [310.8] [312.8] [540.64] [62] [620.131] [879.117] [900] [940.106] [947.102] [954.4] [1064.146] [1635.52] [1897.129] [2128.S3.11] [2165.D2] [2166.D4] (US$950 [477.126] [690.94])
• At the Comdex show, Intel introduces the 33 MHz version of the 80386DX microprocessor and 80387 math co-processor. This version of the 387 incorporates new technology, making it inherently faster than previous 387 chips. [62] [312.13] [511.319] [2169.S3.14]

April

• Motorola releases pre-announcement details about the 32-bit 68040 microprocessor. It will incorporate about 1.2 million transistors. [312.8] [423.136] [1064.246] [338]
• Motorola announces the 50 MHz version of the 68030 microprocessor. [312.14]

(month unknown)

• Harris Semiconductor introduces a 25 MHz version of the 80286 processor. Price is US$142 each in quantities of 1000. [312.13]
• Hitachi countersues Motorola for patent infringement of Motorola's 68030 processor on Hitachi's H8/532 microcontroller. [548.368] [659.5]
• Cypress Semiconductor introduces the 40 MHz 7C601 RISC processor, based on Sun Microsystem's SPARC design. Performance is about 29 MIPS. Price is US$895 in 100 unit quantities. [1084.18]
• Intel unveils the i860 RISC processor. It is the first microprocessor capable of executing two instructions per clock cycle. It features a RISC core, floating point unit, memory management unit, graphics unit, instruction cache, data cache, 4 GB address space, 40-50 MHz speed, and incorporates over one million transistors. [16] [556.24] [1056.333]

October

• Cyrix introduces the FasMath 83D87 math coprocessor, pin-compatible with Intel's 387. [511.329] [509.219]
• Motorola releases details of the architecture of the 68040 processor. [338]

(month unknown)

• Motorola begins large volume shipments of the 88100 processor. [541]
• Integrated Information Technology announces the NP-3C87 math coprocessor, compatible with the Intel 80387 chip, and with extra instructions for 4x4 matrix multiplications and more internal registers. 1064.342]
• At the Microprossor Forum, several conference speakers predict that processor clock speeds will not exceed about 50 MHz. [1056.17]
• John Crawford, chief architect of the Intel 80486 processor, predicts that in 1999, Intel will release a processor incorporating 50 million transistors, and be 386 compatible. [1056.17]

November

• Weitek introduces the Weitek 4167 math coprocessor chip as an enhancement to Intel's 486 CPU. [511.319]

(month unknown)

• Intel releases the i960CA, a true superscalar microprocessor, capable of executing two instructions at once. [556.24]
• Intel begins production of the 80486 microprocessor. [477.126]

Other web pages of interest:

• Chronology of Personal Computers
• This Day in Personal Computer and Video Game History
• This Day in History