https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/04/after-48-years-zilog-is-killing-the-classic-standalone-z80-microprocessor-chip/ Zilog is discontinuing standalone Z80 chips after 48 years of continuous production. Besides our SG-1000, Master System, and Mega Drive/Genesis, this CPU was used in every application imaginable over the years, from 8-bit computers to graphing calculators to breathalyzer devices. A remarkable run for a chip introduced just five years after the first microprocessor (the Intel 4004), and truly the end of an era. (The binary compatible eZ80 will remain in production, so the architecture will live on.)
Couldn't wait till 50? But wow, it's kind of sad to see a chip so influential to electronics as a whole be put to rest.
https://github.com/rejunity/z80-open-silicon/tree/main the first FOSS fabrication of a z80 is scheduled for next month. Z80 lives.
I considered making a thread on this myself... it's amazing how long people have been using this thing.
