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4-bit architecture
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The 4-bit architecture is a microprocessor architecture that has a datapath width or a highest operand width of 4 bits or a nibble. These architectures typically have a matching register file with registers width of 4 bits and 4-8-bit wide addresses.

Industry

Most of the first microprocessors during the early 1970s had 4-bit word length. Both the Intel 4004 and the 4040 were 4-bits. The world's first single-chip microprocessor by Texas Instruments, the TMS1000, was also a 4-bit CPU. 4-bit word were proven to be very limiting and by 1974 there was a shift to larger architectures such as 8- and 12-bit architecture architectures. Some 4-bit chips are still made to date such as the Epson S1C63 MCU.

Applications

Most 4-bit microprocessors were used almost exclusively in calculators and toys. 4 bits was a logical choice for many calculators that used BDC numbers representation. Today, 4-bit chips such as S1C63 are still manufactured are used in many low-power devices and wireless tools.

4-bit microprocessor

4-bit microcontrollers