Raymond M. Holt (born in 1944) is an American computer designer and businessman in Silicon Valley. Ray Holt graduated from

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona California State Polytechnic University Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona) is a Public university, public Institute of Technology (United States)#Polytechnic universities, polytechnic research university in Pomona, California, United States. It is the l ...

. From 1968 to 1970, Ray and his brother Bill Holt were on the Garrett AiResearch's small design team that developed what he claims is the world's first

microprocessor A microprocessor is a computer processor (computing), processor for which the data processing logic and control is included on a single integrated circuit (IC), or a small number of ICs. The microprocessor contains the arithmetic, logic, a ...

chip set, the 20-bit Central Air Data Computer (CADC), for the

F-14 The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is an American carrier-capable supersonic aircraft, supersonic, twinjet, twin-engine, Tandem#Aviation, tandem two-seat, twin-tail, all-weather-capable variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for t ...

Tomcat (although the

Viatron Viatron Computer Systems Corporation, or simply Viatron was an American computer company headquartered in Bedford, Massachusetts, and later Burlington, Massachusetts. Viatron coined the term "''microprocessor''" although it was not used in the sen ...

2101 multi-chip processor had already been available at the time of the CADC's release). The CADC was never deployed for any other purpose, thereby leaving room for the 4-bit

Intel 4004 The Intel 4004 was part of the 4 chip MCS-4 micro computer set, released by the Intel, Intel Corporation in November 1971; the 4004 being part of the first commercially marketed microprocessor chipset, and the first in a long line of List of I ...

to become the first ''commercially'' produced microprocessor. Holt's story of the design and development of the CADC is presented in a podcast and a ''Wired'' article. Holt was co-founder with Manny Lemas of

Microcomputer Associates, Incorporated Microcomputer Associates, Inc., was an American computer company founded by Manny Lemas and Ray Holt. It produced the low-cost Jolt Microcomputer, designed by Holt and released in 1975 for . Microcomputer Associates introduces the 6502 based J ...

,old-computers.com museum
/ref> later known as Synertek Systems where he designed the Jolt,

Super Jolt Super may refer to: Computing * SUPER (computer program), or Simplified Universal Player Encoder & Renderer, a video converter/player * Super (computer science), a keyword in object-oriented programming languages * Super key (keyboard button ...

and

SYM-1 The SYM-1 is a single board "trainer" computer produced by Synertek Systems in 1975. It was designed by Ray Holt. Originally called the VIM-1 (Versatile Input Monitor), that name was later changed to SYM-1. The SYM-1 is a close copy of the po ...

microcomputer cards as well as the first microcomputer pinball game, Lucky Dice, using the Intel 4004. One of Holt's computer boards, the SYM-1, was used in the first two military robots, Robart I and Robart II. Holt is the founder and president of Mississippi Robotics, a

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

serving rural schools and ministries in Mississippi, teaching a STEM/Robotics curriculum and holding robot competitions twice a year.

References

External links

First Microprocessor website

Jolt Microcomputer
American computer scientists Living people Year of birth missing (living people) {{Compu-bio-stub