Intel’s revolutionary 54-year-old 4004 chip was the world’s first programmable microchip — 2,300-transistor 10,000nm processor exposed

CPU collector and enthusiast CPU Duke was given the opportunity to “pop the hood” off Intel’s first-ever multi-purpose microprocessor, the 4004. In a post on X, the CPU collector removed the top portion of a 4004 processor, exposing its insides for them to explore with a microscope.

It doesn’t take much zooming in to see the 10,000nm chip in all of its glory. In multiple X posts, CPU Duke showed off the 4004’s internal wiring and the polysilicon structures beneath the chip’s metal layer. CPU Duke even…