Intel microprocessors are manufactured by Intel Corporation, the world's leading manufacturer of microprocessors. The microprocessor is the computer-on-a-chip that provides all the central processing circuitry necessary for a personal computer. Currently, the majority of the world's personal computers are built around Intel microprocessors.

In 1971 Intel developed the world's first microprocessor chip, the 8-bit Intel 4004. Intel engineer Ted Hoff originated the 4004 design as a single-chip, general-purpose central processing unit (CPU) that could be programmed for special purposes. The Intel 4004 contained 2,300 transistors and had as much processing power as ENIAC (the world's first electronic, general-purpose computer), which contained around 18,000 vacuum tubes, filled an entire room, and weighed over 30 tons.

In 1972 the Intel 8008 microprocessor, twice as powerful as the 4004, was introduced and used inside the Mark 8 computer. The 8-bit Intel 8080 microprocessor, introduced in 1974, was used in such products as handheld calculators, cash registers, automatic teller machines, and traffic lights...