Littelfuse Announces Retirement of the EZ80
Although the demise of the Zilog Z80 processor has long been predicted, it would seem that this moment has finally arrived.
Executive Summary
Although the demise of the Zilog Z80 processor has long been predicted, it would seem that this moment has finally arrived. The owner of the Zilog name – Littelfuse – recently sent out PCN ZAC26-0074 , notifying customers that they will be taking final orders for the eZ80 and all other microcontroller lines that they currently own. Over at Mouser, eZ80 parts have correspondingly all been marked as “End of Life”.
Open Silicon & Gate-Level Hardware Inspection
From a silicon and hardware engineering viewpoint: - **Interface Neutrality:** Mitigates dependency on proprietary BSPs, empowering open toolchains to address hardware directly. - **Supply Chain Verification:** Schematics and open pinouts allow deterministic audits against silicon errata. - **Lifecycle Decoupling:** Decouples physical hardware utility from commercial vendor end-of-life obsolescence.
Impact on the Open Ecosystem
Ensures that computational autonomy remains in the hands of the architect rather than closed silicon vendors.