The MP944 was the ‘real’ world’s first microprocessor, but it was top secret for nearly 30 years — F-14 Tomcat's chip lived in the shadow of the Intel 4004, but was eight times faster

F-14 Tomcat.

For a long time, what is now considered to be a prime candidate for the title of the ‘world’s first microprocessor’ was a very well-kept secret for nearly 30 years. The MP944 is the inauspicious name of the chip we want to highlight today. It was developed to be the brains behind the U.S. Navy’s F-14 Tomcat’s Central Air Data Computer (CADC). Thus, it isn’t surprising that the MP944 was a cut above the Intel 4004, the world’s first commercial microprocessor, which was designed to power a desktop calculator.

The world’s first microprocessor is *NOT* from Intel. But you won’t find it in many textbooks. It was a secret only declassified in 1998; for good reason. The Garrett AiResearch F14 Air Data Computer was ~8x faster than the Intel 4004, and a year earlier! pic.twitter.com/LeYds8jp1rNovember 13, 2025