On August 15, 2018, the IEEE will be producing a major dual milestone event celebrating the Birthplace of Silicon Valley (Shockley Labs) and Moore’s Law. It will begin in the afternoon in the plaza of the new San Antonio Village, in final stages of construction, and continue with an evening at the Computer History Museum. In the afternoon, at the outdoor stage within the plaza, there will be a group of speakers, headlined by Jim Gibbons of Stanford University and supported by our president, Jim Jeffries, who will unveil the Birthplace plaque. Our IEEE milestone plaque for Moore’s Law is embedded in the Silicon Molecule Fountain, within the plaza.
The people in the photo of the Silicon Module Fountain are looking at our plaque. Around the building on the right in the photo, which is numbered “391,” is the Monument Area. Mounted on the side of the 391 building is our IEEE milestone plaque for the Birthplace of Silicon Valley, as seen in the photo. Back and to the left is a set of three sculptures, which are the image of three silicon devices, the first silicon devices to be produced in Silicon Valley. Hence the area is appropriately named “Birthplace of Silicon Valley.” As seen in the photo, these devices are connected together by the sidewalk representing the printed-circuit board. The building on which our plaque is mounted replaces the original Shockley Lab building and keeps the same address.
Following the afternoon program, the evening will focus on the present and future of semiconductors, with emphasis on Moore’s Law. Moore’s Law gave us the forecast of the number of transistors on a chip over time. This was the underpinning of the business model for the growth of Silicon Valley. The headliners will be speakers from Intel and ARPA, and the program will include a short presentation by our past IEEE President, Karen Bartleson, unveiling the Moore’s Law plaque.
Both the afternoon and evening events will be free. However, the evening event will be limited to about 400 people and require a reservation.
Looking at the position of our two plaques, in the plaza and on the 391 building, in a well trafficked public area, potentially makes these plaques the most seen of any IEEE milestone plaques. (San Antonio Village is in a well- travelled area in Mountain View less than a block from Palo Alto. On the plaza will be a 6-plex movie theater and a hotel bringing in the crowds.)
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