The AL1 was an early 8-bit microprocessor slice designed by Four-Phase Systems and unveiled in February 1970. The chip was first used as part of Four-Phase's System IV/70 24-bit minicomputer to be used with terminals shipped in January 1971. It has been widely reported as one of the first microprocessor central processing units (CPU) publicly disseminated, pre-dating the Intel 4004 by one year. In modern terms, the AL1 is a bit-slice design. The company never advertised the AL1 as an independent product and did not sell it to other customers; the 4004 was the first such design to be sold in standalone form. The AL1 was later updated as the AL4.