6 ms·

"Despite Tanenbaum’s early work on silicon transistors, AT&T did not support further research or advancement of the technology. At the time, Bell Labs was the

"Despite Tanenbaum’s early work on silicon transistors, AT&T did not support further research or advancement of the technology. At the time, Bell Labs was the research arm of AT&T. Although Bell Labs had “a significant technological lead in silicon transistor technology, it stopped doing proper research in the field—partly because it just wasn’t immediately relevant to AT&T’s business—so silicon transistor technology, including the integrated circuit, was done by Intel and Texas Instruments instead,” Tanenbaum said in a 1999 oral history conducted by the IEEE History Center." Good call AT&T! /s

Turing_Machine 3y ago
> so silicon transistor technology, including the integrated circuit, was done by Intel and Texas Instruments instead Right. Tanenbaum invented the silicon transistor (which of course was a major accomplishment -- definitely worthy of honor), but what most people think of as a "microchip" (i.e., an integrated circuit with multiple components on the same piece of semiconductor) was invented almost simultaneously by Jack Kilby at Texas Instruments and Robert Noyce (then at Fairchild, later a cofounder of Intel).
- Fatnino 3y ago
  I daily drive past the spot where Fairchild was at the time. It's next to the cheapest gas station in Palo Alto (not really saying much) and across the street from the location that used to be Sun's HQ before they moved to where Facebook is now.
allturtles 3y ago
Here's another source that disagrees (BTL = Bell Telephone Laboratories): "In spite of its secondary role as a semiconductor supplier, the course of semiconductor research was shaped by the scientific and engineering achievements at BTL during the 1950s. While most of the semiconductor industry concentrated on manufacturing germanium transistors and diodes during this decade, BTL spent most of its research dollars on silicon devices... Of the ten major events instrumental in the demise of germanium as the preeminent starting material, seven originated at BTL while the other three were derived from BTL research activities. "[0] [0]: https://ethw.org/w/images/3/3a/Seidenberg%2C_1997.pdf https://ethw.org/w/images/3/3a/Seidenberg%2C_1997.pdf
- mlyle 3y ago
  That -agrees-. AT&T built a substantial lead in silicon devices during the 1950s, like your source says. TI and Fairchild pulled firmly ahead in the 1960s; Intel became hugely relevant in the 70s and 80s. AT&T had mostly abandoned silicon research by this time.

Turing_Machine 3y ago

> so silicon transistor technology, including the integrated circuit, was done by Intel and Texas Instruments instead Right. Tanenbaum invented the silicon transistor (which of course was a major accomplishment -- definitely worthy of honor), but what most people think of as a "microchip" (i.e., an integrated circuit with multiple components on the same piece of semiconductor) was invented almost simultaneously by Jack Kilby at Texas Instruments and Robert Noyce (then at Fairchild, later a cofounder of Intel).

Fatnino 3y ago
I daily drive past the spot where Fairchild was at the time. It's next to the cheapest gas station in Palo Alto (not really saying much) and across the street from the location that used to be Sun's HQ before they moved to where Facebook is now.

allturtles 3y ago

Here's another source that disagrees (BTL = Bell Telephone Laboratories): "In spite of its secondary role as a semiconductor supplier, the course of semiconductor research was shaped by the scientific and engineering achievements at BTL during the 1950s. While most of the semiconductor industry concentrated on manufacturing germanium transistors and diodes during this decade, BTL spent most of its research dollars on silicon devices... Of the ten major events instrumental in the demise of germanium as the preeminent starting material, seven originated at BTL while the other three were derived from BTL research activities. "[0] [0]: https://ethw.org/w/images/3/3a/Seidenberg%2C_1997.pdf https://ethw.org/w/images/3/3a/Seidenberg%2C_1997.pdf

mlyle 3y ago
That -agrees-. AT&T built a substantial lead in silicon devices during the 1950s, like your source says. TI and Fairchild pulled firmly ahead in the 1960s; Intel became hugely relevant in the 70s and 80s. AT&T had mostly abandoned silicon research by this time.