In a century in which technology left few aspects of life unchanged in some countries, the microprocessor may be the most transformative of all. Throughout most of its history, the microprocessor business has followed a consistent pattern. As with other ICs, microprocessors has for the past few decades been undergoing the exponential rise in performance prophesied by Moore's Law. The situation has delighted consumers and product designers, and is the main reason why the microprocessor is one of the greatest technologies of this time.