COMPANY·HISTORIES
NAIC 334413

Semiconductor and Related Devices

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

54companies1832–2000founding years54still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedRogers Corporation
1832
FoundedCarl-Zeiss-Stiftung
1889
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedNKK Corporation
1912
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedKomatsu Ltd.
1921
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
FoundedTexas Instruments Inc.
1930
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
FoundedEG & G Incorporated
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedOmron Corporation
1948
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
FoundedSemtech Corporation
1960
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedFlextronics International Ltd.
1969
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
FoundedPhoenix Mecano AG
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
FoundedApplied Micro Circuits Corporation
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedCypress Semiconductor Corporation
1982
FoundedVitesse Semiconductor Corporation
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedSTMicroelectronics NV
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
FoundedGemplus International S.A.
1988
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
FoundedCaliper Life Sciences, Inc.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
FoundedPixelworks, Inc.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
FoundedJDS Uniphase Corporation
1999
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit worldwide.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Rogers Corporation →
Active · founded 1832
Rogers Corporation was originally founded as a paper mill in 1832 and segued from insulated paperboard into a wide…
Jenoptik AG →
Active · founded 1846 · Germany
Jenoptik AG is a high-technology company, based in Jena, Germany, that specializes in the fields of systems engineering…
Crane Co. →
Active · founded 1865
Crane Co.
Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung →
Active · founded 1889 · Germany
The Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung, a 'juridical person' under German civil law, is the sole owner of two industrial enterprises,…
Johnson Matthey PLC →
Active · founded 1891 · United Kingdom
Johnson Matthey PLC has been involved in the processing and marketing of precious metals since its founding in 1817.
NEC Corporation →
Active · founded 1899 · Japan
Early 1920s:NEC, IWE, and a division of the Sumitomo group form a joint venture to produce electrical cables, marking…
NKK Corporation →
Active · founded 1912 · Japan
NKK Corporation is one of the world's largest steelmakers and Japan's second largest.
Wacker-Chemie GmbH →
Active · founded 1914 · Germany
Wacker-Chemie GmbH is a worldwide leader in the manufacture of specialty chemicals.
Nikon Corporation →
Active · founded 1917 · Japan
While Nikon Corporation is well known in the consumer world for its cameras, the Japanese firm also produces film…
Komatsu Ltd. →
Active · founded 1921 · Japan
World War II:[fsps*3.5]The company supplies the Japanese navy with antiaircraft artillery shells and bulldozers.
Fuji Electric Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1923 · Japan
Fuji Electric Co., Ltd.
Motorola, Inc. →
Active · founded 1928
Electronic communications pioneer Motorola, Inc.
Texas Instruments Inc. →
Active · founded 1930
Texas Instruments Inc.
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1935 · Japan
The Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
Ricoh Company, Ltd. →
Active · founded 1936 · Japan
Ricoh Company, Ltd.
EG & G Incorporated →
Active · founded 1947
EG & G Incorporated is a diversified technology company that develops and provides products for public and private…
Hewlett-Packard Company →
Active · founded 1947
Since merging in 2002, Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Compaq have created the new HP (Hewlett-Packard Company), serving more…
International Rectifier Corporation →
Active · founded 1947
International Rectifier Corporation (IR) is the oldest independent power semiconductor manufacturer in the world.
Omron Corporation →
Active · founded 1948 · Japan
Omron Corporation is a world leader in the field of automation.
SANYO Electric Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1950 · Japan
SANYO Electric Co., Ltd.
National Semiconductor Corporation →
Active · founded 1959
National Semiconductor Corporation is a leading U.S.
Semtech Corporation →
Active · founded 1960
Semtech Corporation, headquartered in Newbury Park, California, develops and manufactures analog and mixed-signal…
Intel Corporation →
Active · founded 1968
Intel Corporation is the largest semiconductor manufacturer in the world, with major facilities in the United States,…
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. →
Active · founded 1969
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
Flextronics International Ltd. →
Active · founded 1969 · Singapore 408723
Flextronics International Ltd.
Parlex Corporation →
Active · founded 1970
Parlex Corporation is a world leader in the flexible circuitry and laminated cable assemblies used throughout the…
ZiLOG, Inc. →
Active · founded 1974
ZiLOG, Inc., designs, develops, and manufactures 8-bit micrologic semiconductor devices, also known as embedded control…
Phoenix Mecano AG →
Active · founded 1975 · Switzerland
Phoenix Mecano AG produces a variety of electrotechnical and mechanical components.
Solectron Corporation →
Active · founded 1977
Solectron Corporation operates as the world's largest electronics manufacturing services company.
Micron Technology, Inc. →
Active · founded 1978
Micron Technology, Inc., is a holding company for subsidiaries engaged in the design and production of computers,…
Applied Micro Circuits Corporation →
Active · founded 1979
Originally established to provide integrated circuits (ICs) to the military, Applied Micro Circuits Corporation (AMCC)…
Seagate Technology, Inc. →
Active · founded 1979
Seagate Technology, Inc.
Bairnco Corporation →
Active · founded 1981
Bairnco Corporation is a multinational company with subsidiaries operating in two business segments: engineered…
Cypress Semiconductor Corporation →
Active · founded 1982
Cypress Semiconductor Corporation designs, manufactures, and distributes a range of integrated circuits for the…
Cirrus Logic, Inc. →
Active · founded 1984
Cirrus Logic, Inc.
Dallas Semiconductor Corporation →
Active · founded 1984
Dallas Semiconductor Corporation designs, manufactures, and markets a wide variety of semiconductors and…
Vitesse Semiconductor Corporation →
Active · founded 1984
Vitesse Semiconductor Corporation is an integrated circuit, or chip, manufacturer with a difference: its ICs are made…
TriQuint Semiconductor, Inc. →
Active · founded 1985
TriQuint Semiconductor, Inc.
Cree Inc. →
Active · founded 1987
Cree Inc.
STMicroelectronics NV →
Active · founded 1987 · Switzerland
STMicroelectronics NV is one of the world's leading semiconductor manufacturing companies.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. →
Active · founded 1987 · Taiwan
When Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd.
C-Cube Microsystems, Inc. →
Active · founded 1988
C-Cube Microsystems, Inc.
Gemplus International S.A. →
Active · founded 1988 · Luxembourg
Gemplus International S.A.
Veeco Instruments Inc. →
Active · founded 1990
Veeco Instruments Inc.
Broadcom Corporation →
Active · founded 1991
Broadcom Corporation is one of several companies contributing to the infrastructure that will bring high-speed Internet…
Caliper Life Sciences, Inc. →
Active · founded 1995
Caliper Life Sciences, Inc.
Lucent Technologies Inc. →
Active · founded 1995
Lucent Technologies Inc.
Amkor Technology, Inc. →
Active · founded 1997
Amkor Technology, Inc.
Pixelworks, Inc. →
Active · founded 1997
Pixelworks, Inc.
Agilent Technologies Inc. →
Active · founded 1999
Agilent Technologies Inc.
Conexant Systems, Inc. →
Active · founded 1999
As a unit of Rockwell International, the predecessor of Conexant Systems, Inc.
JDS Uniphase Corporation →
Active · founded 1999
JDS Uniphase Corporation is a high technology company that designs, develops, manufactures, and distributes a wide…
Agere Systems Inc. →
Active · founded 2000
Agere Systems Inc.
Infineon Technologies AG →
Active · founded 2000 · Germany
During Infineon Technologies AG's short life as an independent company, it has become the fourth largest DRAM…
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