Editing PIC microcontrollers (section)

===After the CP1600===
[[File:PIC1655A GI.jpg|thumb|PIC1655 from General Instrument]]
In 1985, General Instrument sold their [[microelectronics]] division and the new owners cancelled almost everything which by this time was mostly out-of-date. The PIC, however, was upgraded with an internal [[EPROM]] to produce a programmable [[channel I/O]] controller.
At the same time [[Plessey]] in the UK released NMOS processors numbered PIC1650 and PIC1655 based on the GI design, using the same instruction sets, either user mask programmable or versions pre-programmed for auto-diallers and keyboard interfaces.<ref>Plessey Satellite Cable TV Integrated Circuit Handbook May 1986</ref>

In 1998 Microchip introduced the PIC16F84, a flash programmable and erasable version of its successful serial programmable PIC16C84.
In 2001, Microchip introduced more flash programmable devices, with full production commencing in 2002.<ref>{{cite news |first=D. |last=Dunn |title=Microchip offering flash at OTP prices |newspaper=EETimes |date=31 August 2001 |url=https://www.eetimes.com/microchip-offering-flash-at-otp-prices/}}</ref>

Today, a huge variety of PICs are available with various on-board peripherals ([[serial communication]] modules, [[universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter|UART]]s, motor control kernels, etc.) and program memory from 256 words to 64K words and more. A "word" is one [[assembly language]] [[Instruction_set_architecture#Instructions|instruction]], varying in length from 8 to 16 [[bit]]s, depending on the specific PIC [[microcontroller]] series.

While PIC and PICmicro are now registered trademarks of Microchip Technology, the [[prefix]] ″PIC″  is no longer used as an [[acronym]] for any term. It is generally thought that PIC stands for "''Programmable Intelligent Computer''", General Instruments' [[prefix]] in 1977 for the PIC1640 and PIC1650 family of microcomputers,<ref name="1977catalog"/> replacing the 1976 original meaning "''Programmable Interface Controller''" for the PIC1640 that was designed specifically to work in combination with the CP1600 microcomputer.<ref name="1976databook"/> The "PIC Series Microcomputers" by General Instrument were a series of Metal-Oxide Semiconductor Large-Scale Integration (MOS/LSI) 8-bit microcomputers containing ROM, RAM, a CPU, and 8-bit input/output (I/O) registers for interfacing. At its time, this technology combined the advantages of MOS circuits with Large-Scale Integration, allowing for the creation of complex integrated circuits with high transistor density.<ref name="1977catalog"/> 

The Microchip 16C84 ([[PIC16x84]]), introduced in 1993, was the first<ref>{{cite journal
 |url=https://spectrum.ieee.org/chip-hall-of-fame-microchip-technology-pic-16c84-microcontroller
 |title=Chip Hall of Fame: Microchip Technology PIC 16C84 Microcontroller
 |date=30 June 2017
 |journal=IEEE Spectrum
 |access-date=September 16, 2018}}</ref> Microchip CPU with on-chip EEPROM memory.

By 2013, Microchip was shipping over one billion PIC microcontrollers every year.<ref name="12bil">{{cite web
 |url=http://www.microchip.com/pagehandler/en-us/press-release/microchips-12-billionth-pic-mi.html
 |title=Microchip Technology Delivers 12 Billionth PIC® Microcontroller to Leading Motor Manufacturer, Nidec Corporation
 |last=Lawson
 |first=Eric
 |date=May 16, 2013
 |publisher=Microchip press release.
 |access-date=December 21, 2017
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130721063936/https://www.microchip.com/pagehandler/en-us/press-release/microchips-12-billionth-pic-mi.html
 |archive-date=July 21, 2013
 |quote="Microchip delivered this 12 billionth MCU approximately 10 months after delivering its 11 billionth."}}
</ref>{{dubious|Shipment Volumes|date=February 2023}}