Technology
The Most Important Invention From Every U.S. State
In almost 250 years of history, the U.S. has been responsible for many inventions that have made a considerable impact on the world.
Everyone knows about the big ones, like the internet, the airplane, or the credit card, but there are literally thousands of other interesting inventions that fly under the radar. These advancements in technology have come from every corner of the country, and it’s worth knowing some of the more important ones.
Inventions State-by-State
Today’s infographic comes from MNU and it breaks down the most impactful inventions from each state, along with the year and inventor associated with each advancement.
It’s pretty hard to argue against the importance of inventions like the iPhone, the television, or the helicopter. However, as with any list like this, many of the choices are still quite arbitrary and subjective.
With that in mind, let’s look at the contributions from the biggest states, as well as important advancements in technology made in other parts of the country.
The “Big” States
To begin, here are the inventions from the “big” states – the three that dominate the country in terms of GDP and population.
California: The iPhone, finally released in 2007, is credited to Steve Jobs and the Apple engineers that made it possible. It’s worth noting that you can also thank the folks in the Golden State for inventing the popsicle, WD-40, hula hoops, and of course, many of the digital goodies coming out of Silicon Valley.
New York: The credit card is credited to Frank McNamara, a founder of Diners Club International. The story behind the first Diners Club card is famous. The gist of it is: McNamara was in a restaurant with clients in NYC, but forgot his wallet. His wife had to drive to the restaurant to pay the tab for him, and in that moment he conceived of a multipurpose charge card that could be used with just a signature.
Other famous inventions from the Empire State? Jell-O, toilet paper, potato chips, and air conditioning.
Texas: From the Lone Star State comes the electric typewriter, which is also an obvious precursor to the PC. You can also thank Texans for a variety of food innovations. Corndogs, chili, frozen margaritas, and even fajitas are all allegedly from Texas.
Other States
Contributions like the iPhone and credit card are pretty impressive – but other states have also made incredible contributions to the modern economy.
The first gas-powered automobile was made in Ohio, and then Michigan took autos another step forward with the invention of the assembly line. In nearby Indiana, the gas pump was invented to put fuel in cars.
People in other states built on what Texas did with the electric typewriter. The first digital computer was built in 1937 in Illinois, the first computer mouse was built in Oregon, and the first IBM PC was made in Florida in 1981. The good folks at MIT in Massachusetts also helped create the World Wide Web, which prompted the information revolution we live and breathe today.
Technology
Ranked: Semiconductor Companies by Industry Revenue Share
Nvidia is coming for Intel’s crown. Samsung is losing ground. AI is transforming the space. We break down revenue for semiconductor companies.
Semiconductor Companies by Industry Revenue Share
This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on Apple or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.
Did you know that some computer chips are now retailing for the price of a new BMW?
As computers invade nearly every sphere of life, so too have the chips that power them, raising the revenues of the businesses dedicated to designing them.
But how did various chipmakers measure against each other last year?
We rank the biggest semiconductor companies by their percentage share of the industry’s revenues in 2023, using data from Omdia research.
Which Chip Company Made the Most Money in 2023?
Market leader and industry-defining veteran Intel still holds the crown for the most revenue in the sector, crossing $50 billion in 2023, or 10% of the broader industry’s topline.
All is not well at Intel, however, with the company’s stock price down over 20% year-to-date after it revealed billion-dollar losses in its foundry business.
Rank | Company | 2023 Revenue | % of Industry Revenue |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Intel | $51B | 9.4% |
2 | NVIDIA | $49B | 9.0% |
3 | Samsung Electronics | $44B | 8.1% |
4 | Qualcomm | $31B | 5.7% |
5 | Broadcom | $28B | 5.2% |
6 | SK Hynix | $24B | 4.4% |
7 | AMD | $22B | 4.1% |
8 | Apple | $19B | 3.4% |
9 | Infineon Tech | $17B | 3.2% |
10 | STMicroelectronics | $17B | 3.2% |
11 | Texas Instruments | $17B | 3.1% |
12 | Micron Technology | $16B | 2.9% |
13 | MediaTek | $14B | 2.6% |
14 | NXP | $13B | 2.4% |
15 | Analog Devices | $12B | 2.2% |
16 | Renesas Electronics Corporation | $11B | 1.9% |
17 | Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation | $10B | 1.9% |
18 | Microchip Technology | $8B | 1.5% |
19 | Onsemi | $8B | 1.4% |
20 | KIOXIA Corporation | $7B | 1.3% |
N/A | Others | $126B | 23.2% |
N/A | Total | $545B | 100% |
Note: Figures are rounded. Totals and percentages may not sum to 100.
Meanwhile, Nvidia is very close to overtaking Intel, after declaring $49 billion of topline revenue for 2023. This is more than double its 2022 revenue ($21 billion), increasing its share of industry revenues to 9%.
Nvidia’s meteoric rise has gotten a huge thumbs-up from investors. It became a trillion dollar stock last year, and broke the single-day gain record for market capitalization this year.
Other chipmakers haven’t been as successful. Out of the top 20 semiconductor companies by revenue, 12 did not match their 2022 revenues, including big names like Intel, Samsung, and AMD.
The Many Different Types of Chipmakers
All of these companies may belong to the same industry, but they don’t focus on the same niche.
According to Investopedia, there are four major types of chips, depending on their functionality: microprocessors, memory chips, standard chips, and complex systems on a chip.
Nvidia’s core business was once GPUs for computers (graphics processing units), but in recent years this has drastically shifted towards microprocessors for analytics and AI.
These specialized chips seem to be where the majority of growth is occurring within the sector. For example, companies that are largely in the memory segment—Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron Technology—saw peak revenues in the mid-2010s.
-
Real Estate2 weeks ago
Visualizing America’s Shortage of Affordable Homes
-
Technology1 week ago
Ranked: Semiconductor Companies by Industry Revenue Share
-
Money2 weeks ago
Which States Have the Highest Minimum Wage in America?
-
Real Estate2 weeks ago
Ranked: The Most Valuable Housing Markets in America
-
Business2 weeks ago
Charted: Big Four Market Share by S&P 500 Audits
-
AI2 weeks ago
The Stock Performance of U.S. Chipmakers So Far in 2024
-
Misc2 weeks ago
Almost Every EV Stock is Down After Q1 2024
-
Money2 weeks ago
Where Does One U.S. Tax Dollar Go?