Making of a Microchip!

Jack Kilby invented the first microchip, or integrated circuit (IC), at Texas Instruments in 1958.

How it was invented~

~ Kilby's invention was a hybrid circuit that combined multiple components onto a single chip.

~ This reduced the number of parts that needed to be wired together.
Kilby's invention was a major step forward in the development of the microchip.

The chip that changed the world ~

Jack Kilby’s invention of the integrated circuit, plus decades of subsequent innovation, demonstrate our passion to create a better world by making electronics more affordable through semiconductors.

“What we didn’t realize (when we developed the integrated circuit) was that it would reduce the cost of electronic functions by a factor of a million to one.” – Jack Kilby

When Jack Kilby invented the first integrated circuit (IC) at Texas Instruments in 1958, he couldn’t have known that it would someday enable safer cars, smart water meters, ultrasound machines that fit in your pocket and so many more essential applications we rely on today.

That’s because he couldn’t have predicted the incremental innovations in semiconductor technology that happened over the next several decades to drive down the cost of electronics while shrinking the size and improving reliability and efficiency – ultimately helping create a better world.

At TI, our passion is to create a better world by making electronics more affordable through semiconductors. We think of it as Engineering Progress, and Jack’s invention of the IC – plus the decades of subsequent innovation – are some of the ways our company has helped make progress possible over the decades.

As we celebrate the 62nd anniversary of Jack and his chip that changed the world, we would like to focus on three of our recent innovations that have improved medical diagnostics, automobile safety and water leak detection.