History of Intel
Intel Corporation was founded in 1968 by Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore in Mountain View, California. The company initially produced memory chips before pivoting to microprocessors. In 1971, Intel released the 4004, widely regarded as the first commercially available microprocessor. Subsequent designs, including the 8086 released in 1978, established the x86 architecture that became the foundation for the personal computing industry.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Intel expanded its microprocessor line with the 286, 386, 486, and Pentium series, each offering measurable performance improvements. The company's 'Intel Inside' marketing programme, launched in 1991, became one of the most recognised co-branding campaigns in the technology industry. Intel faced increasing competition in the 2000s and 2010s from AMD and, later, from ARM-based chip designers, which prompted diversification into data centre processors, networking components, and programmable chips through the acquisition of Altera.
Intel has maintained a research and development presence in Israel since the early 1970s, making it one of the earliest large technology companies to establish operations in the country. Its Haifa development centre has been involved in multiple processor generations, including design contributions to the Intel Core architecture. Intel is consistently reported as one of Israel's largest private-sector employers, with thousands of staff across sites in Haifa, Petah Tikva, and Kiryat Gat. This long-standing presence has led to Intel's inclusion on boycott lists maintained by BDS campaigners.