Key facts
- Launched
- July 1976
- Discontinued
- June 2024
- Marketed by
- Zilog
- Designed by
- Federico Faggin , Masatoshi Shima
- Common manufacturer
- Zilog, Mostek , Synertek , SGS , NEC , Sharp , Toshiba , Rohm , GoldStar , Hitachi , National Semiconductor , and others
- Max cpu clock rate
- 2.5, 4, 6, 8, 10 MHz to 20 MHz
- Data width
- 8 bits
- Address width
- 16 bits
- Transistors
- 8,500
- Packages
- 40-pin DIP 44-pin PLCC 44-pin QFP
- Application
- Embedded, desktop, handheld
- Technology node
- 4 μm process
- Instruction set
- Z80
- Predecessor
- Intel 8080
- Successors
- Z180 Z280 eZ80
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Subclass of
- central processing unit
- Has part
- program counter
- Followed by
- Zilog eZ80
- Follows
- Intel 8080
- Based on
- Intel 8080
- Manufacturer
- GoldStar
- Image
- Zilog Z80.jpg
Show 6 more facts
- Commons category
- Zilog Z80
- topic's main category
- Category:Z80
- archives at
- Computer History Museum
- inception
- 1976-03-00
- discontinuation date
- 2024-00-00
- start time
- 1976-07-01
Sources (3)
via Wikidata · CC0
~40 min read
Encyclopedic overview
The Zilog Z80 is an 8-bit microprocessor designed by Zilog, first released in 1976; it played an important role in the evolution of early personal computing. It was designed to be software-compatible with the Intel 8080, offering a compelling alternative due to its better integration and increased performance. Along with the 8080's seven registers and flags register, the Z80 introduced an alternate register set, two 16-bit index registers, and additional instructions, including bit manipulation and block copy/search.
Originally intended for use in embedded systems like the 8080 was, the Z80's combination of compatibility, affordability, and superior performance led to widespread adoption in video game systems and home computers throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s, helping to fuel the personal computing revolution. The Z80 was used in iconic products such as the Osborne 1, Radio Shack TRS-80, ColecoVision, ZX Spectrum, Sega's Master System and the Pac-Man arcade cabinet. In the early 1990s, it was used in portable devices, including the Game Gear and the TI-81 and succeeding graphing calculators.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Zilog Z80” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.