When the first transistor, a small electronic device, was invented back in 1947 by William Shockley, John Bardeen, and Walter Brattain, nobody could ever have imagined the powerful revolution that it would have led to.
UNDERSTANDING TRANSISTORS: THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF ELECTRONICS
The transistor is a small electronic device that works as a ‘switch’ which controls the flow of electricity. A simple feature with enormous impact on technology, thanks to the possibility of avoiding the vacuum tubes, fragile and bulky components that limited the speed and reliability of early machines.
In fact, the invention and the development of the transistor enabled the creation of powerful and innovative technologies that revolutionized almost every aspect of the 21st century life. From smartphones, to medical devices and artificial intelligence, nothing would have been possible without Shockley, Bardeen, and Brattain’s small creation, which was cheap, more durable and very simple to produce.
FROM ONE TO MILIONS: COMPLEXITY IN MACHINES
At the beginning, transistors’ impact was huge, but nobody could anticipate the revolutionary wind they would have brought. Nowadays, complex machines are composed of millions of transistors.
It all started with their implementation inside less complex machines, such as compact radios, later integrating more complexity and reaching portable computers, and eventually integrated circuits: microchips containing thousands, then millions, and now billions of transistors etched onto a sliver of silicon.
The amount of transistors used inside machines almost doubled roughly every year for decades, a pattern that drove unprecedented computational growth.
A CULTURAL AND ECONOMIC REVOLUTION
Someone may think that transistors only revolutionized the computational aspect. However, they are considered one of the most impactful achievements in history, also from a cultural and economic perspective. In fact, the revolution driven by an unprecedented computational growth led to many changes in economics and culture.
The miniaturization of electronics changed not only what machines could do, but also who could use them. PCs became more and more accessible, entering houses and classrooms, while mobile phones, enabled by low-power transistors, redefined communication and reshaped social relationships. Ultimately, thanks to the simultaneous use of millions of transistors, it is possible to develop digital networks that have changed society and human relations.
These changes fundamentally altered global infrastructures. Logistics, finance, science, transportation, and government systems now depend on microprocessors. Even “non-digital” firms rely on this technology.
We can find them almost everywhere: under the ocean, orbiting in space, and inside the devices we use in our daily life. Invisible, small, but powerful, they made modern computing scalable: AI, once a theoretical ambition, became feasible only when machines could process vast datasets at high speed.
From the first prototype to today’s fascinating technologies, transistors have quietly powered a revolution, connecting the planet and enabled the rise of new machines and AI. The tiny switch is continuing to shape how we work, communicate, and imagine the future.
CIMO 