Busicom

Busicom (株式会社ビジコン, Kabushiki-gaisha Bijikon) was a Japanese calculator manufacturer, primarily known for its role in the development of the Intel 4004 microprocessor. Founded in 1967 as Nippon Calculating Machine Corporation, it later adopted the name Busicom.

In 1969, Busicom commissioned Intel to design a set of integrated circuits for a family of advanced programmable calculators. Originally, Busicom's engineer Masatoshi Shima proposed a design requiring twelve custom chips. However, Intel engineer Marcian Hoff convinced Busicom to accept a more generalized, four-chip architecture consisting of a central processing unit (CPU), a read-only memory (ROM), a random-access memory (RAM), and a shift register.

This four-chip set, delivered in 1971, became the Intel 4004, considered to be the world's first commercially available microprocessor. While Busicom's calculator, the 141-PF, was the first product to use the 4004, Intel retained the rights to market the processor to other customers.

Busicom faced financial difficulties and filed for bankruptcy in 1974. The company's agreement with Intel proved significant, as it allowed Intel to market the 4004 widely and ultimately led to the development of more powerful microprocessors that revolutionized the computer industry. Although Busicom no longer exists, its contribution to the history of computing through its partnership with Intel remains significant.