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How Semiconductors Have Transformed Our World: An Evolution Through Before and After

Jun 3, 2026

Who Could Have Ever Predicted Such Dramatic Evolution?
Once upon a time, “computers” were so enormous they filled entire rooms. “Telephones” and “clocks” were fixed to walls. For our parents’ generation, these were machines found only in special places—and yet, this was only a few decades ago.
Today, however, all of these have been condensed into devices that fit in the palm of our hands, staying close to us as if they were part of our own bodies. The driving force behind this seemingly magical evolution is none other than the advancement of semiconductors.
How has the “miniaturization” of semiconductors transformed our lives and society?

An Invisible Yet Massive Revolution.The Key Word Is “Higher Density”

Without us even realizing it, our everyday lives have been completely rewritten.
As machines become smaller, the need to consider installation space disappears, and portability becomes possible. Once power consumption and heat generation are reduced, specialized knowledge is no longer required, allowing individuals to use these devices themselves. As a result, functions such as computation, communication, data storage, and sensing have spread beyond laboratories and factories into homes, pockets, and even onto our wrists.
Semiconductors have changed more than just the size of machines.
They have fundamentally reshaped where intelligence exists.
Miniaturization in semiconductors is not merely about making things smaller. It is about packing more functionality into less space and bringing technologies once confined to limited locations closer to everyday life.

The Evolution of Computers
Miniaturization Opened the Door to Personal Computing

Perhaps the most intuitive example of change brought about by semiconductors is the computer.
As computers became smaller, calculations and controls that once had to be handled by specialized departments could be tested instantly on-site. Today, one computer per person is the norm. This shift has reduced distances between people in business, dramatically accelerated workflows, and made computers indispensable not only for work but also for research, communication, and entertainment—ultimately transforming how people live their lives.
Developed in the United States in the 1940s, ENIAC was the world’s first general-purpose, fully electronic computer. Using approximately 18,000 vacuum tubes, it was truly room-sized and required a massive infrastructure to install and operate.
At the time, these machines relied not on semiconductors but on vacuum tubes—components that could conduct and control electricity but were large, generated significant heat, and were prone to failure. Semiconductors replaced these functions with components that were smaller, more energy-efficient, and far more durable.
A symbol of this evolution is the single-board computer—a compact computer that integrates all essential functions onto a single circuit board. For example, the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W, despite being roughly the size of a business card, can run programs, communicate wirelessly, and connect to cameras and sensors.
In this way, machines that once occupied entire rooms have become tools easily used for education, prototyping, and hands-on experimentation.
 

The Evolution of Telephones
From Human-Operated Switchboards to Smartphones That Fit in Your Pocket

In terms of accelerating business and communication, telephones evolved even earlier than computers. Originally, telephone networks relied on human operators connecting lines via switchboards. Later, Bell Labs developed the transistor to replace vacuum tubes within telephone networks. This 1947 invention became not only a turning point for telephony, but also the starting point for modern electronics as a whole.
These changes were reflected not only behind the scenes, but also in the devices we hold in our hands. Introduced in 1994, IBM Simon—equipped with a phone, address book, calendar, notes, email, and fax functions—is often considered one of the earliest smartphones.
Today’s smartphones integrate even more capabilities into a single device. Modern models are less than 1 cm thick and weigh under 200 grams—just 7.95 mm thick and 177 g in some cases. Beyond voice calls, they handle maps, payments, video streaming, photography, and work communications—truly “computers you can carry.”
What matters here is not simply convenience through miniaturization. Once phones fit into our pockets, business no longer had to wait until returning to the office—it could move forward on the spot. In some cases, an entire business can now be run from a single smartphone. This has accelerated daily communication and profoundly influenced how people live their lives.

 

The Evolution of Music Experiences
From Furniture-Sized Audio to Portable—and Wearable—Devices

The desire to enjoy music and television from a single device has existed for decades. In the 1950s, RCA stereo consoles—large, furniture-like systems integrating radio, TV, and record players—became popular in the United States. They were central entertainment hubs within the home.
This paradigm shifted dramatically with the launch of Sony’s Walkman in 1979. Music, once enjoyed in front of large machines, became something people could carry with them. Today, this evolution has extended to wearable devices. Some smart glasses now incorporate speakers and microphones, enabling music playback and calls directly around the face.
Thanks to semiconductor evolution, music has become a constant companion—available anytime, anywhere. Entertainment has shifted from something we “sit down to enjoy” to something that is simply always there. Its value is now defined less by location and more by how seamlessly it integrates into daily life. Experiences that we “find ourselves using without noticing” have become a key reason for choice.
 

The Evolution of Watches
From Timekeeping Tools to Partners Connected to Our Bodies

Watches also symbolize technological evolution.
Early timekeeping devices relied on physical mechanisms such as weights, pendulums, and gears. After pendulum clocks became practical in the 17th century, large clocks in homes and public spaces spread as tools for sharing a time.
Later, watches evolved from pocket watches to spring-driven mechanical wristwatches, becoming personal items. In 1969, Seiko’s Quartz Astron—the world’s first quartz wristwatch—used crystal oscillators and electronic circuits to achieve high precision, fundamentally changing watch history.
Today, we live in the era of smartwatches. Widely used smartwatches go beyond telling time, handling notifications, measurements, payments, and location tracking.
As semiconductors continue to advance, watches are no longer just tools for telling time. They have become partners in work, managers that quietly monitor our health, and devices that help us understand ourselves—shifting from timekeeping instruments to personal information terminals.

What Lies Beyond Miniaturization. A Society Where Semiconductors Are Everywhere

Computers moved from rooms into objects.
Telephones moved from places to people.
Music moved from furniture to the body.
Watches moved from public utilities to personal information devices.
The miniaturization driven by semiconductor evolution has not merely reduced size—it has transformed the very nature of things by bringing intelligence, communication, and data storage closer to everyday life.
And this trend continues.
Full-scale AR glasses are emerging as potential successors to smartphones. Meta has unveiled its AR prototype “Orion,” and Google has announced Android XR for headsets and AR glasses. In research labs, smart contact lenses that bring sensors and displays closer to the eyes are also under development.
Though not yet common in today’s society, these devices may become the next generation of “wearable computers” as semiconductor performance improves and integration density increases.

Resonac provides CMP slurries, high-purity gases, die-bonding materials, epoxy encapsulation materials, and package substrate materials for semiconductor manufacturing, as well as SiC epitaxial wafers expected to play a key role in EVs.
While finished devices may capture attention, it is materials and process technologies like these that truly support their evolution.
When we look at machines from the past and marvel at how large they were, we are also reminded of just how profoundly semiconductors have transformed society. Semiconductors will continue to make our tools smaller and closer to us—while expanding what we are capable of doing.