Intel Wins in Four Decades, but AMD Catches up

Abstract

Reports on the history, development, and applications supported by Intel's microprocessor product line. Microprocessors have evolved substantially since the introduction of the Intel 4004 half a century ago. Over the years, several processors have stood out for their innovative designs, commercial successes, forays into new application domains, and significant performance and efficiency enhancements compared to their competitors. We polled the computer architecture community, and received votes from 254 processor designers and engineers, researchers from academia and industry, faculty, and graduate students, identifying their favorite processors from every decade since the 1970s, as well as their favorite processor of all time. The results of the poll are presented in this article.