Celebrating their legendary company that started Silicon Valley and spawned the semiconductor industry, approximately 2,000 Fairchild Semiconductor alumni, known as Fairchildren, and their guests will gather at the Computer History Museum in Silicon Valley Oct. 4-6, 2007. A three-day celebration/reunion will commemorate the golden anniversary of Fairchild Semiconductor's 1957 founding. Alumni volunteers, who have been planning the events for the past two years with help from descendent company Fairchild Semiconductor, hope to alert the approximately 50,000 Fairchild alumni around the world who may not have heard about the Fairchild@50 celebration.
Celebration events include a "Legacy of Fairchild" panel with Gordon Moore, Jerry Sanders and Wilf Corrigan, and moderator Floyd Kvamme, to explore the lasting impact of Fairchild Semiconductor on Silicon Valley and the world. Eight other panels include storytelling sessions to capture Fairchild's people, products, technology, culture and business highlights. The sessions cover the Founding Years, Digital Bipolar, MOS, Linear, Manufacturing, Marketing & Sales and International. The Fairchild@50 events will culminate in a gala celebration at the Museum, where alums will reconnect with many old friends. Fairchildren can view event details, sign up as alumni and order tickets online at www.fairchildat50.org
As one of the most influential early high-tech companies in Silicon Valley and around the world, Fairchild Semiconductor contributed technology and business breakthroughs that ushered in the semiconductor age and today's digital revolution. On the technology front, Fairchild Semiconductor's invention of the planar process and the integrated circuit revolutionized production of semiconductor devices and led to today's billion-transistor chips.
Fairchild Semiconductor pioneered its new products and technologies with an entrepreneurial style, and its manufacturing and marketing techniques reshaped Silicon Valley and the worldwide high-tech industry. The company also introduced management-style innovations such as ultimately rewarding employees with stock options and decentralizing semiconductor device manufacturing facilities to locations around the world.
In addition, its volume manufacturing and electronic design automation (EDA) efforts fueled the growth and development of these semiconductor market segments, and spawned hundreds of new companies in all aspects of the high-tech industry - including Intel, AMD, National, LSI Logic, VLSI Technology, Intersil, Altera and Xilinx, to name a few. Several venture capital firms also were formed by Fairchild executives, including Sequoia Capital; and Kleiner Perkins, Caulfield & Byers which, in turn, helped finance new semiconductor spinoff companies and high-tech as we know it today.
Fairchild Semiconductor (www.fairchildsemi.com) continues today - following in the rich tradition of its predecessor. Fairchild is the global leader in power analog and power discrete technologies delivering energy-efficient solutions for all electronic systems. It provides leading-edge silicon and packaging technologies, manufacturing strength and system expertise.
The Computer History Museum (CHM) in Mountain View, California, is a 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit organization with over 25 years of history including moving the collection to Mountain View from the former Boston Computer Museum. CHM preserves and presents the artifacts and stories of the information age and is dedicated to exploring the social impact of computing. CHM's diverse collection of computing-related artifacts is the largest and most significant in the world. CHM brings computing history to life through an acclaimed speaker series, dynamic website, and onsite tours and exhibits. Current exhibits include "Mastering the Game: A History of Computer Chess," "Innovation in the Valley," and "Visible Storage," featuring 600 key objects from the collection. A signature "Timeline of Computing History" exhibit will open in October 2009. For open hours and more information, visit: www.computerhistory.org or call +1 650 810 1010. Admission is free. For Fairchild@50 event information, please visit: www.fairchildat50.org
ThinkBold Corporate Communications: Sarah Miller
sarah@thinkbold.com
231-264-8636
Fairchild Semiconductor: Patti Olson
patti.olson@fairchildsemi.com
207-775-8728
Computer History Museum: PR Team
650-810-1059
Computer History Museum: David Laws
laws@computerhistory.org
(650) 810-1057
Event contact: Geri Hadley
gerihadley@sbcglobal.net
(650) 208-3088 (cell), (540) 327-4224 (home/office)
Event contact: Judy Horst
pandagolf@aol.com
(800) 747-2632
