Semiconductor’s Ascent

Semiconductors were invented in the United States. Physicists at Bell Labs in New Jersey – William Shockley, John Bardeen, and Walter Brattain – were the first to successfully demonstrate a transistor in December 1947. The invention quite literally electrified the world by greatly reducing the physical materials and space needed to control the flow of electricity for the purposes of telecommunications and computing. As the digital age unfolded in the decades that followed, semiconductor performance and applications ballooned as these ever-shrinking electron labyrinths delivered the promises of the future. All the while, the U.S. maintained global leadership in their design, production, and assembly. Even such boundlessly crucial products could not escape the offshoring trend of the end of the 20th century. The U.S. blinked and soon found itself manufacturing only 10% of the world’s chips – and virtually none of the most advanced.       

The CHIPS and Science Act has reignited the semiconductor industry in the U.S. and set off a global race that will see a massive expansion of capacity and shifting global supply chains. Capital investments are flowing and jobs are growing. To put it bluntly – this is a great opportunity. With one of the nation’s strongest and most diverse existing semiconductor ecosystems, top-tier university and federal lab research institutions, an advanced technology economy, and a supportive state government, Colorado will be the home of the 21st Century economy.     

Learn more about Colorado’s Semiconductor efforts below.