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The inventor of the microchip was honoured last week by Japan, the country
which has profited most from his invention. American electronics engineer
Jack Kilby was given the Kyoto Prize, worth £280 000, by the Inamori
Foundation.

Kilby invented the microchip in 1958 while he was working at Texas Instruments.
The device was crucial to the growth of Japan’s electronics industry in
the 1960s and 1970s, and Japan is now the world’s largest producer of microchips.

While Kilby was given the ultimate accolade – an audience with Emperor
Akihito at Tokyo’s Imperial Palace – Texas Instruments is still battling
over royalties with some Japanese companies.