Has anyone ever built their own CPU?

Question

Has anyone ever built their own CPU? Like assembles silicon and copper and cooked up a 2GZ CPU, for example?

Answer 1

I want to but haven't done it yet. That is one of my goals though.

Answer 2

Modern CPU design is a team effort. These days CPU's have architects but it's a stretch to say any one individuals design them.

You probably want to look at older processors like the 4004 or Z80, since some of those were probably designed by individuals.

You can actually build one yourself, if you don't mind lowering the performance specs down a notch. MIT offers the materials for their "Computational Structures" course online (see link below). The subject of the class is going through the process of building and programming a small microprocessor, and along the ways teach you a great deal about computer architecture. But you do the whole thing: Start with a bunch of chips, wire them up, and write nanocode to coordinate the circuitry to implement machine language instructions. You have to buy the parts and tools for yourself, but you can buy them. In particular the "tools" link for the circuit designs as well as an overview of the machine language you implement. Check out the link below.

Answer 3

Yeah, like 25 years ago people had to build their own cpu from scratch or from a kit. Nowadays processors are too complex to be made by one person.

Answer 4

Intel. You need to have machines that make CPUs to do it because the components are very small!

Answer 5

I have not. But I learnt it in a class on line.

Answer 6

isnt that impossible without millions of dollars of equipment?

Answer 7

not me