Zilog Z80

The Zilog Z80 is an <a href="/facts/8-bit_computing/2CkhLNoH">8-bit</a> microprocessor designed by <a href="/facts/Zilog/sB6jH5vw">Zilog</a> that played an important role in the evolution of early personal computing. Launched in 1976, it was designed to be <a href="/facts/Backward_compatibility/FbHFBu5y">software-compatible</a> with the <a href="/facts/Intel_8080/32FvNTcD">Intel 8080</a>, offering a compelling alternative due to its better <a href="/facts/Integrated_circuit/fjn6vg7C">integration</a> and increased performance. Along with the 8080's seven <a href="/facts/Processor_register/32RvbUdz">registers</a> and flags register, the Z80 introduced an alternate register set, two 16-bit index registers, and additional instructions, including <a href="/facts/Bit_manipulation/36zRS0cc">bit manipulation</a> and block copy/search.
Originally intended for use in <a href="/facts/Embedded_system/a4muX1wU">embedded systems</a> like the 8080, the Z80's combination of compatibility, affordability, and superior performance led to widespread adoption in <a href="/facts/Video_game/vmTdNASJ">video game</a> systems and <a href="/facts/Home_computer/CDEPVd1T">home computers</a> throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s, helping to fuel the <a href="/facts/Personal_computing/koaYfNce">personal computing</a> revolution. The Z80 was used in iconic products such as the <a href="/facts/Osborne_1/TYLLMXyH">Osborne 1</a>, <a href="/facts/TRS-80/zNfQKxnQ">Radio Shack TRS-80</a>, <a href="/facts/ColecoVision/m6GreuwA">ColecoVision</a>, <a href="/facts/ZX_Spectrum/JVbaDHrU">ZX Spectrum</a>, Sega's <a href="/facts/Master_System/7zW0dMIG">Master System</a> and the <a href="/facts/Pac-Man/Hx1pqvUQ">Pac-Man</a> arcade cabinet. In the early 1990s, it was used in portable devices, including the <a href="/facts/Game_Gear/RmXkbC3t">Game Gear</a> and the <a href="/facts/TI-83_series/T01EAkQB">TI-83 series</a> of graphing calculators.
The Z80 was the brainchild of <a href="/facts/Federico_Faggin/XIsoopIf">Federico Faggin</a>, a key figure behind the creation of the Intel 8080. After leaving Intel in 1974, he co-founded Zilog with <a href="/facts/Ralph_Ungermann/E9IttkP5">Ralph Ungermann</a>. The Z80 debuted in July 1976, and its success allowed Zilog to establish its own <a href="/facts/Semiconductor_fabrication_plant/lFu2rIlr">chip factories</a>. For initial production, Zilog licensed the Z80 to U.S.-based <a href="/facts/Synertek/2972gk9f">Synertek</a> and <a href="/facts/Mostek/NIePx5jb">Mostek</a>, along with European <a href="/facts/Second-source/Ma2HVMbm">second-source</a> manufacturer, <a href="/facts/Societ%25C3%25A0_Generale_Semiconduttori/XSW23La9">SGS</a>. The <a href="/facts/Semiconductor_intellectual_property_core/yx66l6wL">design</a> was also copied by various Japanese, Eastern European, and Soviet manufacturers gaining global market acceptance as major companies like <a href="/facts/NEC/YnlUsMBA">NEC</a>, <a href="/facts/Toshiba/QHRaw8Tr">Toshiba</a>, <a href="/facts/Sharp_Corporation/IbmkAjKB">Sharp</a>, and <a href="/facts/Hitachi/KeK38e82">Hitachi</a> produced their own versions or compatible clones.
Long after more advanced processors were introduced, the Z80 continued to be used in embedded systems, remaining in production until June 2024, nearly five decades after it began. Zilog also continued to enhance the basic design of the Z80 with several successors, including the <a href="/facts/Zilog_Z180/n0bCIxzT">Z180</a>, <a href="/facts/Zilog_Z280/Ksa0wWfC">Z280</a>, and <a href="/facts/Zilog_Z380/EEmYdRAW">Z380</a>, with the latest iteration, the <a href="/facts/Zilog_eZ80/MmNCCFKN">eZ80</a>, introduced in 2001 and available for purchase as of 2025.

Zilog Z80 open-in-new

Zilog Z80