History
An Integrated Circuit Pioneer
One of the first semiconductor companies in Silicon Valley, Intersil was founded in 1967 by Jean Hoerni to produce digital watches. When microprocessors emerged in the 1970s, Intersil participated with its 12-bit IM6100, which was the first microprocessor produced in CMOS technology and emulated the DEC PDP-8 instruction set.
Two Different Owners
Intersil was acquired by General Electric in 1980. RCA’s semiconductor division was also acquired by GE, and the two companies were combined with GE’s own semiconductor operations.
In 1988, GE’s semiconductor business was acquired by Harris Corporation. The product lines of Intersil, RCA and GE were combined with those of Harris and Radiation, Inc. (previously acquired by Harris). In 1999, Harris spun-off its entire semiconductor division, and Intersil was re-born as an independent company. In early 2000, Intersil went public in what was then the largest semiconductor IPO in US history.
Intersil Today
Intersil Corporation has become a leader in the design and manufacture of high-performance analog, mixed-signal and power management ICs. In recent years, the company has been transforming itself to focus on several of the highest growth applications in the industrial & infrastructure, consumer and personal computer markets.
