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Components & Memory

Intel 8080

An 8-bit microprocessor released in April 1974 that powered the Altair 8800 and was the first target of CP/M.

Intel first released the 8080 in April 1974. Federico Faggin, who had led the design of the 4004, was its main architect. He heard customer complaints about the 8008 and pushed for a better chip.

It ran at 2 megahertz and could execute several hundred thousand instructions per second. It went into early personal computers such as the Altair 8800 and was the original target chip for the CP/M operating system.

Why it matters

The 8080 powered early personal computers such as the Altair 8800 and anchored the CP/M operating system.

Key facts

  • Released in April 1974.
  • 8-bit microprocessor.
  • Federico Faggin was main architect.
  • 2 MHz clock rate originally.
  • Used in the Altair 8800.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia, "Intel 8080", en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_8080, accessed October 14, 2026.
  2. Wikipedia, "Intel", en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel, background reading, accessed October 14, 2026.