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| Formation | 1966 |
|---|---|
| Type | Research organization |
| Headquarters | Palo Alto, California |
Parent organization | HP Inc. |
| Website | www |
HP Labs is the exploratory and advanced research group forHP Inc. HP Labs' headquarters is inPalo Alto, California and the group has research and development facilities in Bristol, UK. The development of programmable desktop calculators, inkjet printing, and 3D graphics are credited to HP Labs researchers.
HP Labs was established on March 3, 1966, byHewlett-Packard foundersBill Hewlett andDavid Packard, seeking to create an organization not bound by day-to-day business concerns.[1]
The labs have downsized dramatically; in August 2007, HP executives drastically diminished the number of projects, down from 150 to 30. As of 2018, HP Labs has just over 200 researchers, compared to earlier staffing levels of 500 researchers.[2]
WithHewlett Packard Enterprise being spun off from Hewlett-Packard on November 1, 2015, and the remaining company being renamed toHP Inc., the research lab also spun offHewlett Packard Labs toHewlett Packard Enterprise[3] and HP Labs was kept for HP Inc.
As the Semiconductor Lab's first manager,Mohamed Atalla launched a material science investigation program that provided a base technology forgallium arsenide,gallium arsenide phosphide andindium arsenide devices. These devices became the core technology used by HP's Microwave Division to develop sweepers andnetwork analyzers that pushed 20–40 GHz frequency, giving HP more than 90% of themilitary communications market by the 1970s.[4]
HP Labs was involved in HP'sresearch and development (R&D) on practicallight-emitting diodes (LEDs) between 1966 and 1969. The first practicalLED displays were built at Atalla's Semiconductor Lab.[5] HP introduced the first commercial LED display in 1968.[6] In February 1969, they introduced the HP Model 5082-7000 Numeric Indicator.[5] It was the first intelligent LED display, and was a revolution indigital display technology, replacing theNixie tube and becoming the basis for later LED displays.[7]
In 1977, HP Labs fabricated prototypes of theDMOS (double-diffused MOSFET), a type ofpower MOSFET. They demonstrated that it was superior to theVMOS (V-groove MOSFET) with its lower on-resistance and higher breakdown voltage. The DMOS became the most commonpower transistor used inpower electronics.[8]
During the early 90s, HP Labs invented the concept of anExplicitly parallel instruction computing (EPIC) instruction set, which led to theIntel Itanium architecture. Towards the end of the 90s, HP Labs worked on a precursor to web services, known as e-Speak.[9][10]
In 1999, HP Labs andUCLA built the world's first molecular logic gate for eventual application in chemically assemblednano-computers.[11]
During the 2000s, HP Labs in Bristol createdJena, asemantic web framework.
Today, HP Labs specializes in products and solutions related to laptops and tablets, desktop computers, printers, ink and toner cartridges, display accessories and business solutions.[clarification needed]
HP Labs has made a substantial investment in the development of HP MultiJet Fusion technology. Previously, MetalJet technology was jointly developed between the 3D Print business and HP Labs, allowing for advanced metals to be incorporated in3D printing.[12][13]
The lab inventsmicrofluidic and imaging technologies for markets beyond office and home print, such as flexible packaging, life sciences, and sensing. The lab has also worked to develop a new method for isolating rare cancer cells.
Security research began in the 1990s, leading to the co-founding of the TCPA alliance, later known as theTrusted Computing Group. In 2001, a Trusted Linux OS offering was created[14] amongst many years oftrusted computing development. Various research projects led to product features such as Virus Throttle,[15] HP SureStart,[16] Printer Runtime Intrusion Detection, HP Connection Inspector and HP SureAdmin.
The following have served as Director of HP Labs since its foundation in 1966.[17]
HP Labs has laboratories in two major sites:[18]
Former sites:
Some of the former employees of HP's Research Labs include:
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