The Microprocessor: Heart of the Computer A microprocessor is a
type of integrated circuit or chip and is the heart of every
computer. Ever since the 1980s, advertisements for personal
computers have made a big deal about the microprocessors inside
the box, even though every computer relies on dozens of other
integrated circuits to work properly. But when it was first
invented, engineers thought that the microprocessor would be an
entire computer on a chip. In the late 1960s, lots of engineers
knew that circuits could be shrunk down to a size small enough
that they could fit entirely on a chip. Gilbert Hyatt of the
Micro Computer Company and Gary Boone at Texas Instruments both
patented their ideas for single-chip computers. But the most
successful version of this idea came from Intel. In the late
1960s, Intel was in the business of making memory chips for
computers and calculators. Customers sometimes came to Intel
with special projects and requests. One of those requests was
for a set of chips for a new cal