The best is yet to come: The legacy of the integrated circuit in tomorrow's breakthroughs

Wearable devices that detect abnormal vitals. Cars that drive themselves. Robots that move like people. Once impossible, these ideas are now reality, shaping life in ways we never imagined. And they all started with one chip.

Chips, or integrated circuits (ICs), are the building blocks of modern electronics. They’ve become so essential that it’s easy to overlook their transformative power, or forget how they began. But one innovator started it all. In 1958, TI engineer Jack Kilby asked what was next for electronics – and answered by developing the world’s first IC.

Jack’s breakthrough made electronics more affordable, reliable, efficient and compact, unlocking innovations that, until then, lived only in science fiction movies, and pushed the boundaries of what’s possible even further. It sparked a mindset that still drives us today at TI, to keep asking: What’s next?

Let’s look at some key examples of how we’ve provided the foundation for what’s next across edge AI, automotive, space and robotics. 

Powering everyday electronics with edge AI

As the electronics we use become more complex, edge artificial intelligence (AI) is helping make electronics more responsive, efficient and secure. With edge AI, automotive in-cabin monitoring can support seatbelt reminders, child presence detection and intrusion alerts to enhance the in-vehicle experience and meet evolving safety standards. In healthcare, edge AI can monitor vital signs, process data instantly and deliver real-time health insights, enabling early intervention and better outcomes.

The root of our edge AI portfolio goes back further than you might expect. In 1978, TI introduced the Speak & Spell*, an educational toy that generated spoken words for users to spell on a keyboard. What sounds simple today was a breakthrough at the time: the Speak & Spell introduced the industry’s first chip with digital signal processing (DSP) logic. DSPs paved the way for efficient real-time on-device decision-making, using math to process real-world signals.  Today, with DSP cores integrated into our chips, devices can process signals locally, enabling radar products to analyze positions or vision processors to analyze camera and video. Our legacy in signal processing continues to enable our portfolio of scalable hardware devices to power innovations in edge AI.

Driving advancements in automotive safety

The impact of semiconductors is immeasurable on the road. Modern vehicles rely on thousands of ICs. Sensing ICs gather data from around the vehicle, assessing the environment, warning drivers if they’re too close to the vehicle ahead, or measuring the distance needed to parallel park. As vehicle autonomy increases and safety standards evolve, the importance of semiconductors will only grow, enhancing both driver and passenger safety and improving the in-vehicle experience.

Semiconductors have been shaping vehicle safety for decades. Airbags, for instance, require ICs to detect an impact or sudden velocity changes in order to inflate. By the 1980s, airbags became standard in vehicles, redefining vehicle safety, a legacy that continues to evolve today. 

Reaching new heights in space

The need for reliable semiconductors doesn’t stop at ground level. In space, satellites must orbit for decades while withstanding radiation, temperature extremes and a lack of air and atmospheric pressure. To meet these challenges, we developed a plastic packaging standard for space electronics known as Qualified Manufacturers List Class P (QML Class P). This radiation-hardened packaging supports power management, processor communications and high-speed ICs in satellites, rovers and other spacecraft, making it possible to pack more components into a satellite and expand its capabilities.

Little of what we know about space would be possible without the IC. The first ICs to orbit Earth were TI’s, launched aboard NASA’s Explorer 18 satellite in 1963, enabling a satellite to collect radiation data for the Apollo missions. This was just the beginning of our decades-long history in space exploration and innovation. From supplying parts for the Apollo 11 moon landing to providing technologies for several rovers, satellites, telescopes and critical missions that are still operating, and now, developing standards such as QML Class P, TI’s semiconductor technologies have become integral to learning more about our planet and the galaxy.

Adapting robotics for new environments

While semiconductors enable technology to reach the edges of space, they’re also transforming machines closer to home. Robots today are more intelligent, precise and responsive to their surroundings, able to adapt to environments that were once out of reach. Motor-control technologies give humanoid robots the ability to execute accurate, precise and efficient movements that imitate humans, from grasping objects to walking upright. Embedded processors in autonomous robots create safety bubbles, enabling them to safely work among and navigate around people in a variety of settings.

ICs have been driving robotic innovations for decades. In the latter half of the twentieth century, microprocessor-controlled and motor-driven robots revolutionized factory assembly and production lines. Those early advances laid the foundation for the precise and autonomous robots we see and interact with today. 

Making what’s next a reality

We don’t make the airbag. Or the satellite. Or the robot. But across edge AI, automotive, space and robotics, we help make the difference. And it all started when we made the first IC.

Jack Kilby’s breakthrough transformed electronics and possibility. That’s how we honor his legacy: enabling breakthroughs that improve how we live, work and connect. TI chips form the foundation for what’s next in electronics, making the impossible possible, the complex simpler, and the devices we rely on everyday more accessible. And still, the best is yet to come.

^{* Texas Instruments created and marketed the Speak & Spell from 1978 to 1992.}