Intel 8080 - The engine that started the Revolution


In 1974 Intel introduced the 8080 microprocessor.

The 8080 was the successor to the 8008. The 8080 had a 16 bit address bus and an 8 bit data bus. Internally it had seven 8 bit registers six which could also be combined as three 16 bit registers), a 16 bit stack pointer and a 16 bit program counter. It Intel updated the design with the 8085, which added two instructions for interrupts, and only required a +5V power supply.

This microprocessor and it clones would come to dominate the microcomputer industry for the next 4 years.
Considered by most to be the first microprocessor powerful enough to build a computer around.

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