1982

SRC is incorporated, governing structures are established, a site is selected, and initial research contracts are awarded.

Highlights

  • In the late 1970s and into the next decade, the American semiconductor industry had been witnessing a rapid erosion of its technological leadership. In an environment of accelerating change, complexity and cost, the burden of maintaining duplicative company-based research laboratories had become unsustainable. The response came in June 1981, when the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) entertained a proposal for a "Semiconductor Research Cooperative" and in December 1981 SIA Chair Bob Noyce announced the imminent creation of Semiconductor Research Corporation.
  • SRC’s interim Board of Directors, led by Erich Bloch of IBM, first meets in January 1982, and in March appoints Larry Sumney as Executive Director.
  • Member recruitment kicks off with a letter from Erich Bloch to would-be founding members: "The purpose of this letter is to invite your company to participate in a new cooperative venture with other companies in the semiconductor and closely related industries. The purpose of this company is to enhance basic research in semiconductor research disciplines."
  • In April and May, a University Advisory Council forms to address issues such as intellectual property, research duplication and performance evaluation.
  • The June Board of Directors meeting faced a full agenda: member recruiting, establishment of a Technical Advisory Board, site selection, organizational structure, budgets and staffing. Key decisions were made, and SRC was off to a fast start.
  • The first Technology Advisory Board meeting met in early September. Participants from highly competitive companies worked with SRC staff to define the processes of a cooperative research organization.
  • Requests for proposal were issued in September, to which 166 responses were received. Some initial awards were announced in November prior to the evaluation of all 166 proposals.
For specific research areas and results, please see this year's annual report. »

1982 Officers

  • Erich Bloch, Board Chairman
  • Larry W. Sumney, Executive Director
  • Jonathan Greenfield, Secretary

1982 Board of Directors

  • W. Jerry Sanders Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
  • Robert M. Price Control Data Corporation
  • Jeffrey C. Kalb Digital Equipment Corporation
  • Johan Blokker HP Inc.
  • Carl Nomura Honeywell Incorporated
  • Erich Bloch, Chairman IBM Corporation
  • Gordon E. Moore Intel Corporation
  • William G. Howard Motorola Incorporated
  • Charles E. Sporck National Semiconductor Corporation
  • Larry W. Sumney Semiconductor Research Corporation
  • Gene Potter Silicon Systems, Incorporated

1982 SRC Senior Staff

  • Larry W. Sumney, Executive Director

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