The rise of Silicon Valley

The rise of Silicon Valley

Hewlett-Packard was Silicon Valley's first large firm and due to its success one of the area's most admired electronics firms.

While HP was important for the initial growth of the area and at first was based on electronic devices, the actual Silicon Valley fever was launched in the mid-1950s with Shockley and Fairchild, and other semiconductor firms, and went on to the microelectr onics revolution and the development of the first PCs in the mid-1970s, continuing till today.

1. Invention of the transistor
2. Shockley Semiconductor and Fairchild
3. Development of the "Chip" at Fairchild
4. Importance of military funding