Kilby created the first integrated circuit or IC in 1958. Because electricity didn't have to travel as far, the circuits were faster. Clearly, ICs were practical and had great potential. Texas Instruments demonstrated this potential in a computer for the U. S. Air Force that used 587 ICs in a space of only 6.3 cubic inches. The circuitry it replaced required over 150 times as much space.
Integrated circuits perform many tasks today, depending on how they are designed and programmed.
Although Intel and others are major microprocessor manufacturers, so are IBM and Digital Equipment Corporation. Digital, or DEC, best known for its minicomputers and now owned by Compaq, always made its own ICs at several plants. Visit the IBM and Digital sites listed below and prepare a one-page report on an the interesting IC from each of these companies. The McGraw-Hill Companies. All rights reserved.