MOS Technology
More info
- Released
- 1969
- Owner
- Commodore (from 1976)
- Type
- Semiconductor manufacturer
The small Pennsylvania chip house that sold a processor for 25 dollars and thereby made the home computer economically possible.
Founded in 1969, it made calculator chips until Chuck Peddle and a group of engineers from Motorola's 6800 project turned up in 1974. Their 6502 launched at the Wescon show in 1975 for 25 dollars, a fraction of what Intel and Motorola were charging. Its sibling, the 6501, was pin-compatible with the Motorola 6800, and Motorola sued; MOS paid up and dropped the 6501, but the 6502 lived on.
The chip ended up in the Apple II, Atari 2600, BBC Micro and NES. Commodore bought the company in 1976 and had it produce the graphics and sound chips for its own machines too, including the VIC-II and the SID. Renamed Commodore Semiconductor Group, the fab followed its parent into the grave in 1994.