COMPANY·HISTORIES
SIC 3674

Semiconductors, Computer Logic Modules, & Related Devices

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

52companies1913–1987founding years52still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedFedders Corp.
1913
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedHarris Corporation
1926
FoundedGould Electronics, Inc.
1928
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedAvnet Inc.
1955
FoundedAnam GroupFoundedBurr-Brown Corporation
1956
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
FoundedKyocera Corporation
1959
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedAnalog Devices, Inc.
1965
FoundedInternational Telephone and Telegraph Corporation
1968
FoundedMitel CorporationFoundedStandard Microsystems Corporation
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
FoundedLSI Logic Corporation
1980
FoundedLinear Technology, Inc.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedMaxim Integrated Products, Inc.
1983
FoundedAtmel CorporationFoundedDallas Semiconductor Corp.FoundedXilinx, Inc.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedCHIPS and Technologies, Inc.
1985
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
TechnologyLinux and open source challenge proprietary software.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
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

Dynatech Corporation →
Active
Dynatech Corporation is one of the world's leading suppliers of products that support voice, video, and data…
Dynatech Corporation →
Active
Dynatech Corporation is one of the world's leading suppliers of products that support voice, video, and data…
Fedders Corp. →
Active · founded 1913
Fedders Corp.
Fedders Corp. →
Active · founded 1913
Fedders Corp.
Harris Corporation →
Active · founded 1926
The origin of the Harris Corporation, a leading American electronics company, is actually to be found in the printing…
Harris Corporation →
Active · founded 1926
The origin of the Harris Corporation, a leading American electronics company, is actually to be found in the printing…
Gould Electronics, Inc. →
Active · founded 1928
Gould Electronics, Inc., is a designer and manufacturer of materials and components for use in the electrical and…
Gould Electronics, Inc. →
Active · founded 1928
Gould Electronics, Inc., is a designer and manufacturer of materials and components for use in the electrical and…
Richardson Electronics, Ltd. →
Active · founded 1947
Richardson Electronics, Ltd., is one of the fastest growing, highly specialized international distributors of power…
Richardson Electronics, Ltd. →
Active · founded 1947
Richardson Electronics, Ltd., is one of the fastest growing, highly specialized international distributors of power…
Avnet Inc. →
Active · founded 1955
Avnet Inc.
Avnet Inc. →
Active · founded 1955
Avnet Inc.
Anam Group →
Active · founded 1956
With an estimated one-third of the global semiconductor assembly market, the Anam Group ranks among South Korea's…
Anam Group →
Active · founded 1956
With an estimated one-third of the global semiconductor assembly market, the Anam Group ranks among South Korea's…
Burr-Brown Corporation →
Active · founded 1956
Burr-Brown Corporation designs, manufactures, and sells a broad line of microelectronic components, especially…
Burr-Brown Corporation →
Active · founded 1956
Burr-Brown Corporation designs, manufactures, and sells a broad line of microelectronic components, especially…
Watkins-Johnson Company →
Active · founded 1957
A leading high-technology competitor, Watkins-Johnson Company is a producer of semiconductor-manufacturing equipment…
Watkins-Johnson Company →
Active · founded 1957
A leading high-technology competitor, Watkins-Johnson Company is a producer of semiconductor-manufacturing equipment…
Kyocera Corporation →
Active · founded 1959 · Japan
Kyocera Corporation, founded in 1959, was one of the first companies to produce fine ceramic components.
Kyocera Corporation →
Active · founded 1959 · Japan
Kyocera Corporation, founded in 1959, was one of the first companies to produce fine ceramic components.
Analog Devices, Inc. →
Active · founded 1965
Analog Devices, Inc.
Analog Devices, Inc. →
Active · founded 1965
Analog Devices, Inc.
Schneider S.A. →
Active · founded 1966 · France
After a dizzying series of complicated restructurings, acquisitions, and divestments that began in 1980 when the…
Schneider S.A. →
Active · founded 1966 · France
After a dizzying series of complicated restructurings, acquisitions, and divestments that began in 1980 when the…
International Telephone and Telegraph Corporation →
Active · founded 1968
Once known primarily as a telecommunications company, the International Telephone and Telegraph Corporation (ITT) has…
International Telephone and Telegraph Corporation →
Active · founded 1968
Once known primarily as a telecommunications company, the International Telephone and Telegraph Corporation (ITT) has…
Mitel Corporation →
Active · founded 1971 · Canada
Mitel Corporation is an international supplier of telecommunications products and solutions and a pioneer in…
Mitel Corporation →
Active · founded 1971 · Canada
Mitel Corporation is an international supplier of telecommunications products and solutions and a pioneer in…
Standard Microsystems Corporation →
Active · founded 1971
Since being incorporated in 1971, Standard Microsystems Corporation has evolved from a semiconductor supplier to a…
Standard Microsystems Corporation →
Active · founded 1971
Since being incorporated in 1971, Standard Microsystems Corporation has evolved from a semiconductor supplier to a…
VLSI Technology, Inc. →
Active · founded 1979
VLSI Technology, Inc.
VLSI Technology, Inc. →
Active · founded 1979
VLSI Technology, Inc.
LSI Logic Corporation →
Active · founded 1980
A leading competitor in the customized semiconductor market, LSI Logic Corporation represents a defining force in a…
LSI Logic Corporation →
Active · founded 1980
A leading competitor in the customized semiconductor market, LSI Logic Corporation represents a defining force in a…
Linear Technology, Inc. →
Active · founded 1981
Linear Technology, Inc.
Linear Technology, Inc. →
Active · founded 1981
Linear Technology, Inc.
Lattice Semiconductor Corp. →
Active · founded 1983
Lattice Semiconductor Corp.
Lattice Semiconductor Corp. →
Active · founded 1983
Lattice Semiconductor Corp.
Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. →
Active · founded 1983
Maxim Integrated Products, Inc., is a leading developer, manufacturer, and seller of linear as well as mixed (linear…
Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. →
Active · founded 1983
Maxim Integrated Products, Inc., is a leading developer, manufacturer, and seller of linear as well as mixed (linear…
Atmel Corporation →
Active · founded 1984
One of the fastest growing semiconductor companies in the United States, Atmel Corporation designs, develops, and…
Atmel Corporation →
Active · founded 1984
One of the fastest growing semiconductor companies in the United States, Atmel Corporation designs, develops, and…
Dallas Semiconductor Corp. →
Active · founded 1984
Dallas Semiconductor Corp.
Dallas Semiconductor Corp. →
Active · founded 1984
Dallas Semiconductor Corp.
ESS Technology, Inc. →
Active · founded 1984
ESS Technology, Inc.
ESS Technology, Inc. →
Active · founded 1984
ESS Technology, Inc.
Xilinx, Inc. →
Active · founded 1984
Xilinx, Inc.
Xilinx, Inc. →
Active · founded 1984
Xilinx, Inc.
CHIPS and Technologies, Inc. →
Active · founded 1985
Founded in 1985, CHIPS and Technologies, Inc., supplies advanced semiconductor devices to the worldwide personal…
CHIPS and Technologies, Inc. →
Active · founded 1985
Founded in 1985, CHIPS and Technologies, Inc., supplies advanced semiconductor devices to the worldwide personal…
Oak Technology, Inc. →
Active · founded 1987
Born in Xian, China, at the height of World War II, Oak Technology, Inc.
Oak Technology, Inc. →
Active · founded 1987
Born in Xian, China, at the height of World War II, Oak Technology, Inc.
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