How computers grew up in your lifetime
In 2000, the fastest home computer had less memory than one phone photo today. In 2026, the chip in your pocket trains AI models that would have humbled a 2010 supercomputer. Drag the slider. Watch the branches. Mind the analogies.
Five eras of compute
Each era has its own vibe — what people did, what hardware mattered, which company was winning. Click an era to jump to its years in the timeline below.
A year, a machine, a moment
Drag to any year between 2000 and 2026. The flagship consumer device, the dominant operating system, and the breakthrough that defined the year all change with you.
Compute split into six branches
Once upon a time it was just "the CPU." Then game graphics needed parallel math (GPUs). Then phones needed power efficiency (ARM). Then AI needed even more parallel math (NPUs and TPUs). Each branch below is a different evolutionary path — pick one to walk it.
Two years. Two machines. One ratio.
Pick any two years and the page will compute how much things changed. Storage in gigabytes. RAM. Clock speed. Sometimes the multiplier itself is the punchline.
How much things changed
How far have you come?
Your device, right now, against a flagship desktop from the year 2000.
Read live from your device by your own browser — nothing is sent anywhere, and these signals are deliberately coarse (browsers round them for privacy).
What's shipping next
The 2025–2026 silicon already announced or rolling out — the chips setting the pace for the next stretch of this timeline. Every spec links to its source.