Intel Bunny Suit

This Intel bunny suit, donated in 2003, is an artifact in the Oregon Historical Society's collections. Engineers and technicians at Intel dress in the suit each time they enter a semiconductor factory, preventing dirt particles from contaminating the exceptionally clean work areas where they build computer chips. The suit is worn over the worker's regular clothing, along with a hood, goggles, a hairnet, boots, and a beard cover, if necessary.

The Intel Corporation opened its first Oregon factory in Aloha in 1976. Based in Santa Clara, California, Intel was the first out-of-state firm to join the growing cluster of high-technology businesses that developed in and around Portland during the second half of the twentieth century. By 1976, Oregon-based companies such as Tektronix and ESI had already gained good reputations, but neither was as famous in the electronics community as Intel, the industry giant that had invented the microprocessor in 1971. The company's expansion into Oregon invigorated the area's high-technology industry and contributed greatly to the enormous growth the industry experienced during the early 1980s.

Intel chose Oregon as its first remote campus for a variety of reasons. Oregon's close proximity to the company's headquarters appealed to company officials. Other high-tech firms in Washington County had attracted a skilled workforce to the area, resulting in a strong labor pool for Intel. The cost of living and number of competing firms in Washington County were lower than in Santa Clara, which helped the company retain employees. Just as important was the availability of raw materials, including water and electricity. In addition, when Intel made the decision to come to Oregon in 1974, the state's funding for higher education was at a high point.

Intel's influence on Oregon's high tech industry has been profound. Intel enhanced the industry's infrastructure by drawing its suppliers to the region. Much of the company's growth happened in Oregon--including the design and production of its hugely successful product, the Pentium Pro. Today (2007) Intel is the largest private employer in Oregon and has helped put the Portland metropolitan region at the center of cutting-edge microprocessor innovation.

Further reading
Mayer, Heike. "Taking Root in the Silicon Forest: The Role of High Technology Firms as Surrogate Universities in Portland, Oregon." Ph.D. dissertation, Portland State University: 2003.

Dodds, Gordon B. and Craig E. Wollner. The Silicon Forest: High Tech in the Portland Area 1945-1986. Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press, 1990.

Written by Sara Paulson,  © Oregon Historical Society, 2007.