Erik Mace, an Electrical Engineering pro from Intel, kicked off our two-part series by introducing the history and vast opportunity of High Tech in the Silicon Forest.
In Part 1, we journeyed through the origins of Tektronix and the numerous spinoffs it produced. We explored how they helped seed and continue to grow the thriving semiconductor industry in the Portland Metro area, including giants like Intel, HP, Lam, and Mentor Graphics.
We got down to the “nuts and bolts”—learning about digital products (logic gates) and the complex process of making semiconductors. We covered the challenges of improving performance, the infrastructure demands of manufacturing and use (power and water), and how constant consumer demand for smaller, faster devices (from PCs to phones) and the rise of video, AI, and business automation have fueled the rapid growth of data centers. The Silicon Forest is deeply rooted in the businesses and people driving this demand.
(Full presentation for Part 1 here)
Join us next month on November 19th, when we return to the “tap-root” of the Silicon Forest—Tektronix—for our Part 2 Pop-up to learn about Test & Measurement.