Existing comment:
Integrated circuit (1994)
November 1995
Pentium Pro chip made by Intel
Before the invention of the integrated circuit in 1958, many electronic devices relied on large glass vacuum tubes or transistors to create and process electrical signals. Continuing development has led to silicon-based microchips that are smaller and faster; as a rule the number of components on integrated circuits doubles every two years. This chip used 21 million transistors. Chips now hold billions of tiny electronic switches, and offer ever-greater computing power at low cost. |