Chronology of Microprocessors

Copyright © 2006-2008 Ken Polsson
internet e-mail: kpolsson@islandnet.com
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URL: http://www.islandnet.com/~kpolsson/micropro/

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

Last updated: 2008 June 25.


1958-1979 1980-1989 1990-1992 1993 1994 1995 1996-1997 1998-1999 2000 2001
2002 2003 2004-2005 2006-end

2006

January 10
  • Advanced Micro Devices releases the Athlon 64 FX-60 processor. Price is US$999 in 1000-unit quantities. [2062.8]
March 22
  • Intel releases the 3.73 GHz Pentium Processor Extreme Edition 965 dual core processor. Price is US$999 in 1000-unit quantities. [2065.8]
January-March
  • Market share of microprocessors worldwide during January to March: Advanced Micro Devices 15.3%. [2094.72]
April
  • IBM and Rapport announce the Kilocore microprocessor, combining IBM's Power architecture with Rapport's technology. The processor is designed for small portable devices requiring high data throughput and energy efficiency. [2186.6]
May 1
  • Intel releases the 3.6 GHz Pentium D 960 dual-core processor. It features 2 MB cache, 800 MHz front-side bus, and 65 nanometre traces. Price is US$530 in 1000-unit quantities. [2065.8]
May 16
  • Advanced Micro Devices releases the Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core processor, models 4200+ energy efficient, 4400+ energy efficient, 4600+ energy efficient, and 4800+ energy efficient. Prices are US$417, US$514, US$601, and US$671 respectively, in 1000-unit quantities. [2064.10]
May 23
  • Advanced Micro Devices releases the 2.8 GHz Athlon 64 FX-62 dual-core processor. It features dual 1 MB L2 cache, dual 128 kB L1 cache, 128-bit DDR2 memory controller, 2 GHz HyperTransport link, and 90 nanometre traces. Price is US$1031 in 1000-unit quantities. [2064.30] [2065.8]
  • Advanced Micro Devices releases the 2.6 GHz Athlon 64 X2 5000+ dual-core processor. It features dual 512 kB L2 cache, dual 128 kB L1 cache, 128-bit DDR2 memory controller, 2 GHz HyperTransport link, and 90 nanometre traces. The processor incorporates 153.8 million transistors. Price is US$696 in 1000-unit quantities. [2064.30] [2065.8]
June 19
  • IBM announces it has built a transistor that runs at 500 GHz when cooled to near absolute zero, about 100 times faster than current chips. The transistor is built from silicon laced with germanium. [2322]
(month unknown)
  • IBM operates a prototype silicon-germanium microprocessor chip at 500 GHz, cooled to -451 degrees Fahrenheit. [2248.20]
July
  • Intel releases the Dual-Core Itanium 2 processor. It features 1.4 to 1.6 GHz clock rate, 90 nm traces, 6-24 MB L2 cache, 533 MHz front side bus. [2225.69]
July 27
  • Intel releases the Core 2 Duo E6700 processor. It features dual processing cores, 4 MB shared L2 cache, 2.66 GHz clock speed, 1066 MHz front side bus, 65 nm process. Price is US$530. Code name of the Core 2 Duo during development was Conroe. [2236.22] [2237.8] [2238.101] [2332.60]
  • Intel releases the Core 2 Extreme X6800 processor. It features dual processing cores, 4 MB shared L2 cache, 2.93 GHz clock speed, 1066 MHz 128-bit front side bus, 65 nm process, 291 million transistors, maximum addressable memory 8 GB. Price is US$999. [2236.23] [2237.8] [2252.75]
  • Intel releases the Core 2 Duo processor, models E6300, E6400, and E6600. All have 1066 MHz front-side bus and 65 nm traces. Models E6300 and E6400 have 2 MB cache, the E6600 has 4 MB cache. Clock speeds are 1.86 GHz, 2.13 GHz, and 2.4 GHz, respectively. Prices are US$183, US$224, and US$316, respectively. Code name of the Core 2 Duo during development was Conroe. [2237.8] [2238.101]
September 6
  • Advanced Micro Devices releases the Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core 5200+ AM2 processor. Price is US$827 in quantities of 1000. [2237.8]
(month unknown)
  • Intel releases the Core 2 Extreme QX6700 processor. It features four processing cores, 1066 MHz front side bus, 8 MB Level 2 cache, 2.66 GHz clock speed. Code name during development was Kentsfield. [2239.26]
November 14
  • Intel releases the Core 2 Extreme Qx6700 processor. Price is US$999 each. [2388.8]
November 30
  • Advanced Micro Devices releases the Athlon 64 FX-70 processor. Price is US$599 per pair. [2388.8]
  • Advanced Micro Devices releases the Athlon 64 FX-72 processor. Price is US$799 per pair. [2388.8]
  • Advanced Micro Devices releases the Athlon 64 FX-74 processor. Price is US$999 per pair. [2388.8]
December 12
  • Advanced Micro Devices releases the Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core 5400+ AM2 processor. Price is US$485 in quantities of 1000. [2388.8]
  • Advanced Micro Devices releases the Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core 5600+ AM2 processor. Price is US$505 in quantities of 1000. [2388.8]

2007

January 8
  • Intel releases the Core 2 Quad Q6600 processor. Price is US$851 in quantities of 1000. [2388.8]
January
  • At the Consumer Electronics Show, Intel releases the 2.4 GHz Core 2 Quad processor, and Xeon 3200 series in 2.13 GHz and 2.4 GHz speeds. [2301.24]
January 26
  • IBM and Intel announce a breakthrough in the production of the transistor, using halfnium to allow smaller traces at much greater energy efficiency. [2322]
(month unknown)
  • Intel shows an 80-core microprocessor. Performance is 1 teraflop, drawing 62 watts of power. Size is 275 square millimetres. The processor incorporates 100 million transistors in a 65 nanometre manufacturing process. [2387.8]
February 20
  • Advanced Micro Devices releases the Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core 6000+ AM2 processor. Price is US$464 in quantities of 1000. [2388.8]
April
  • In Beijing, China, the Spring Intel Development Forum is held. Intel demonstrates a processor with 80 cores, performing at 2 teraflops. [2396.8]
May 3
  • Advanced Micro Devices releases the AMD Turion TL-56 1.86 GHz processor. It features 1 MB cache, and 1.6 GHz hypertransport bus. Price is US$184 in quantities of 1000. [2388.8]
  • Advanced Micro Devices releases the AMD Turion TL-60 2 GHz processor. It features 1 MB cache, and 1.6 GHz hypertransport bus. Price is US$220 in quantities of 1000. [2388.8]
  • Advanced Micro Devices releases the AMD Turion TL-64 2.2 GHz processor. It features 1 MB cache, and 1.6 GHz hypertransport bus. Price is US$354 in quantities of 1000. [2388.8]

May 9
  • Intel releases the 1.8 GHz Core2Duo Mobile T7100 processor, with 4 MB cache, and 800 MHz front-sidede bus. Price is US$209 in quantites of 1000. Model T7300 (2 GHz) costs US$241; model T7500 (2.2 GHz) costs US$316; and model T7700 (2.4 GHz) costs US$530. [2390.8]
July 16
  • Intel releases the Core 2 Extreme Mobile X7800 processor, at US$851 in quantities of 1000. [2461.8]
  • Intel releases the Core 2 Duo E6540 and E6550 processors, at US$163 in quantities of 1000. Model Duo E6750 costs US$183; model Duo E6850 costs US$266; model Quad Q6700 costs US$530; model Extreme QX6800 costs US$999; model Extreme Qx6850 (3 GHz, 8 MB cache, 1333 MHz front-side bus) costs US$999. [2461.8]
July 27
  • Intel releases the 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo E6600 processor, with 4 MB cache and 1066 MHz front-side bus. Price is US$316 in 1000-unit quantities. Model E6700 (2.66 GHz) costs US$530; model X6800 (2.93 GHz) costs US$999. [2461.8]
August 20
  • Advanced Micro Devices releases the Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core 6400+ processor, US$251 in quantities of 1000. [2462.8]
September 10
  • Advanced Micro Devices unveils a new Opteron server chip, with four processor cores on one die. Each processor can have its own clock speed, including idle, consuming no power. Code-name during development was Barcelona. [2402.30] [2403.1]
November 11
  • Intel unveils new processors using a 45-nanometer processor. Code name during development was Penryn. [2322]
November 19
  • Advanced Micro Devices releases the Phenom 9500 processor, at US$251. Model 9600 costs US$283. [2463.8]

2008

March 2
  • Intel announces the name for its new low-power microprocessor family: "Atom". [2322]
March 26
  • Advanced Micro Devices unveiled the "Phenom" microprocessor for desktop personal computers. [2322]
April 2
  • At the Intel Developer Forum in Shanghai, China, Intel introduces the low-power Atom microprocessor, in speeds up to 1.86 GHz. [2322]

End of 2006-2008.
The complete timeline can be purchased in a PDF file for US$10 from the author.

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1958-1979 1980-1989 1990-1992 1993 1994 1995 1996-1997 1998-1999 2000 2001
2002 2003 2004-2005 2006-end


A list of references to all source material is available.

Other web pages of interest:

  • Chronology of Personal Computers
  • Ken P's Today in History
  • Last updated: 2008 June 25.
    Copyright © 2006-2008 Ken Polsson (email: kpolsson@islandnet.com).
    URL: http://www.islandnet.com/~kpolsson/micropro/
    Link to Ken P's home page.


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