Connecting digital to an analog world. Scanner-on-a-chip. DVD-on-a-chip. Information Appliance system-on-a-chip. One of the first companies to enter the market of mass-producing integrated circuits (ICs), National's products may be found in cellular phones, DVD players, laser printers, and fax modems. Its newest focus is on Internet Appliances, where it can leverage its expertise in integrating digital and analog data acquisition and conversion techniques for devices such as the WebPAD, a touch-screen portable Web access device, and America Online's new set-top box for Internet access through a television set.

National Semiconductor was launched in 1959 to manufacture transistors, largely for the military. Founded at the beginning of the industry that has transformed the U.S. economy, mass production of ICs, National soon became one of the largest companies in the semiconductor industry. Says Seif, "All the semiconductor companies are called 'Fair children.'" Fairchild Semiconductor's Robert Noyce and Jack Kilby, later founders of Intel, invented the integrated circuit, spawning the semiconductor industry. In 1987, National bought Fairchild Semiconductor, eventually divesting it in 1996, as it turned its attention to specialized digital and analog integrated devices.

National focuses on three major markets, home, wireless, and enterprise electronics. Its integrated circuits are found in network equipment such as network interface cards, in cellular phones, pagers, medical equipment, and portable and thin-client computers. Its latest product is the Geode, its system-on-a-chip for Internet Appliances. The Geode provides streaming video, DVD playback, and video-on-demand. Says Seif, "We focus on the analog marketplace and interfaces between digital and analog. All the real world interfaces are analog. When you listen to music, an analog microphone captures the sound before it is converted into a digital signal. A digital tv has more analog parts than an analog tv."

CONTACT
Web: www.national.com
Email: jobs@nsc.com
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