Overview

A developer's account of the breakthroughs and battles that made computer chips the foundation of our world. Computer chips, like sand and water, now cover the earth. Each year, more than 60 billion computer chips are shipped inside smartphones, data centers, cars, airplanes, refrigerators, and more. How did we get to this point? And what even is a computer chip? For nearly forty years, author Pat Hays developed state-of-art computer chips, as a designer and entrepreneur. Silicon Planet is his personal story, full of the ideas, people, and drama at the heart of this technology. In it, the reader will learn how computer chips are designed and fabricated while witnessing breakthroughs and battles that have shaped our world. Silicon Planet concludes with an analysis of the Boeing 737 MAX disasters-events that exemplify the risks to safety and security that computer chips have brought alongside their benefits. Silicon Planet will engage general readers as well as engineering professionals.

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Reviews

A must-read for anyone interested in the technology that fuels the information age. A very approachable and entertaining description by an engineer who was at the center of many key developments. -Bill Dally, chief scientist and senior vice president of research, NVIDIA Silicon Planet is filled with candid, witty anecdotes with real-life characters. The result is an entertaining, informative, and fascinating read whether you know nothing about semiconductors or are an expert in the field. -Chinh Tran, deputy general manager, MediaTek I recommend Silicon Planet for anyone interested in computer chip development as told from the perspective of a pioneer in the field. On a personal note, it was an honor to work with Pat during the early days of video compression development. -Brian L. Hinman, Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year award winner and founder, PictureTel, Polycom, and 2Wire Pat Hays has pushed state-of-the-art [technology] across generations of silicon development. His genius is at the heart of security for many of the most critical national assets. -Logan Jones, general manager and president, SparkCognition Government Systems Silicon Planet is an informative, entertaining, and sometimes dramatic picture of the engineering and managerial challenges from which an emerging technology enabled products and services that were previously impossible. -James R. Boddie, DSP pioneer and IEEE Morris N. Lieberman Memorial Award winner Silicon Planet is an insider's view of the world of semiconductor development. The timing of this book coincides with the growing worldwide awareness of the importance and relevance of chips to our daily lives. This is not a book filled with technical jargon; instead, Pat weaves in technical details almost incidentally so that it becomes a story of people as much as it describes the ebb and flow that has characterized this business over time. -Vidya Rajagopalan, vice president, engineering hardware, Rivian Automotive Silicon Planet is a rare firsthand account-superbly and lucidly written-of the unseen struggles and decision-making that determines winners and losers [as well as] the course of major companies, along with almost everything in our modern world that has become so directly based on the steadily increasing power of computer chips. -Andy Marcuvitz, founder and managing director, Alpond Capital Silicon Planet tells the inside story of how computer chips have revolutionized the way we interact and communicate with sound, pictures, and video. Pat Hays, a key contributor to the development of many groundbreaking computer chips, is the perfect guide. -Staffan Ericsson, video compression expert and founder, Vivo Software A heartfelt, uniquely insightful perspective on the evolution of the microprocessor and [the] semiconductor industry. A seminal read for policy makers, aspiring engineers, and technology executives. Bravo! -Charlie Cheng, managing director, Polyhedron, and cofounder, Lexra

Author Information

Pat Hays enjoyed a long career as a leading developer of computer chips. Hundreds of millions of computer chips that he designed or managed have been shipped. Pat's chips were often among the first to use programmable processing for telecommunications, consumer products, security, and other emerging applications. He is a past recipient of the Best Paper Award at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference, the foremost global forum for chip advances. Pat received his PhD in physics from MIT.

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