[[File:MOS 6502AD 4585 top.jpg|right|thumb|250px|The 6502 CPU]]
The '''MOS Technology 6502''' is an 8-bit microprocessor designed by Chuck Peddle in 1975 for MOS Technology (later purchased by Commodore). Along with the [[Zilog]] [[Z80]], it sparked off a series of computer projects that would eventually result in the home computer revolution of the 1980s. The 6502 design was originally second-sourced by Rockwell and Synertek and later licensed to a number of companies; it is still made for embedded systems.
Originally the CPC was destined to be designed around the 6502 processor. But when Amstrad approached [[Locomotive Software]] to develop a Basic for it with a very tight deadline, Locomotive PLC, who already had a Z80 Basic in the works, urged and convinced Amstrad to switch to the Z80.