Micrporocessor Forum binder with computer chips (1996)
Microprocessor Forum & Milestone Anniversary Memorabilia
Over the years, Microdesign Resources (MDR) has awarded and presented many unique items to their conference attendees, industry VIPs, and business partners in order to commemorate key milestones in the semiconductor industry and their own groundbreaking events, most notably the annual Microprocessor Forum.
Microdesign Resources was founded in 1983 by noted engineer Michael Slater in San Jose, California.
The company is best known for launching the legendary Microprocessor Report in 1987, a highly technical, ad-free newsletter that provided unprecedented, objective, deep-dive analysis of CPU architectures.
MDR's product and service line-up throughout its history has included: the peerless Microprocessor Report; deep-dive industry forecasts and market analysis; and professional semiconductor design seminars. MDR is most famous for establishing the annual Microprocessor Forum, which served as the premier global battleground where major semiconductor manufacturers officially announced and detailed their newest CPU designs.
Today, while Microdesign Resources has evolved through various industry acquisitions, its historic publications and rare commemorative items remain highly collectiblecamong silicon enthusiasts.
Microdesign Resources & Microprocessor Forum Historic Timeline
1983: Michael Slater founds Microdesign Resources (MDR).
1987: MDR introduces its premier publication, the Microprocessor Report.
1988: MDR hosts the inaugural Microprocessor Forum, establishing it as the ultimate annual summit for chip designers.
1991: MDR hosts its 4th annual Microprocessor Forum, honoring early pioneers of the microprocessor industry.
1992: Ziff-Davis acquires Microdesign Resources, expanding its publishing and distribution reach.
1993: MDR launches the Microsystems Forum to address system-level integration and architectures.
1996: MDR celebrates the 25th anniversary of the microprocessor at the 9th annual Microprocessor Forum, distributing a historic commemorative folder embedded with real silicon dies.
1998: MDR introduces the Embedded Processor Forum to address the exploding mobile and microcontroller space.
1999: MDR is sold to Cahners Business Information, and founder Michael Slater departs the company at the end of the year.
2000: Microprocessor Report begins publishing weekly online.
2010: The Linley Group acquires Microprocessor Report, preserving its deep-dive analytical legacy.
2021: TechInsights acquires The Linley Group and gains control of the Microprocessor Report publication.
Microprocessor Forum '96 Commemorative 25th Anniversary Portfolio Binder with chips (1996)
In October 1996, the world's leading semiconductor minds gathered for the 9th annual Microprocessor Forum. This year was incredibly significant as it marked the 25th Anniversary of the commercial microprocessor, stretching from the 1971 launch of the Intel 4004 to the hyper-competitive desktop, server, and workstation era of 1996. To celebrate, Microdesign Resources decided to present their VIP attendees and industry insiders with a spectacular commemorative portfolio.
Being a limited distribution item, relatively few of these custom-designed portfolios have survived intact over the last few decades, making them highly sought-after collectors' items.
Each padded, off-white vinyl folder features a clear protective window displaying a gallery of 17 real, exposed semiconductor silicon dies. The cover chronicles the progression of microprocessor architecture by contrasting the historic 1971 Intel 4004 (2,300 transistors on a 10µm PMOS process) with the state-of-the-art 1996 Intel Pentium Pro (5.5 million transistors on a 0.6µm BiCMOS process).
It also displays 15 other silicon dies from major manufacturers vying for market share at the time, including AMD, Cyrix, Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC), Hewlett-Packard, Hitachi, IBM, Motorola, NEC, SGI/MIPS, Sun Microsystems, VLSI, and Cirrus Logic. It remains one of the ultimate physical time capsules of the 1990s "microprocessor wars".
Computer chips from leading semiconductor companies (1996)