▁Ele ktr on ika ▁NC - 1 . ▁This ▁machine , ▁intended ▁to ▁directly ▁comp ete ▁with ▁SM ▁E VM ▁series , ▁was ▁first ▁released ▁in ▁ 1 9 7 3 ▁and ▁used ▁the ▁bit ▁slice ▁ 4 - bit ▁ 5 8 7 ▁CPU , ▁sometimes ▁called ▁the ▁first ▁Soviet ▁micro processor ▁ever . ▁Its ▁descend ants ▁proved ▁popular ▁and ▁were ▁widely ▁used ▁in ▁various ▁control ▁systems ▁and ▁tele com ▁equipment . ▁However , ▁the ▁bit - slice ▁nature ▁of ▁their ▁CPU s ▁made ▁these ▁machines ▁somewhat ▁unw ield y , ▁especially ▁in ▁military ▁applications , ▁and ▁the ▁need ▁for ▁a ▁single - ch ip ▁micro processor ▁was ▁identified . ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 9 8 0 ▁the ▁first ▁ 1 8 0 1 ▁CPU ▁intended ▁to ▁fill ▁this ▁n iche , ▁K 1 8 0 1 VE 1 , ▁entered ▁production . ▁It ▁was ▁essentially ▁a ▁micro controller ▁with ▁ 2 5 6 ▁bytes ▁of ▁on - ch ip ▁RAM , ▁ 2 K ▁R OM ▁and ▁other ▁peri pher al ▁circuit ry , ▁still ▁based ▁on ▁Ele ktr on ika ▁NC ▁instruction ▁set , ▁but ▁compatible ▁with ▁a ▁Soviet ▁clone ▁of ▁DE C ' s ▁Q - Bus ▁that ▁was ▁already ▁adopted ▁as ▁an ▁industry ▁standard ▁— ▁a ▁first ▁sign ▁of ▁things ▁to ▁come . ▁Its ▁peri pher al ▁circ uits ▁were ▁under util ized ▁by ▁the ▁industry , ▁as ▁it ▁was ▁mostly ▁used ▁as ▁a ▁general - pur pose ▁CPU , ▁rather ▁than ▁a ▁micro controller , ▁so ▁it