JPMorganChase presented awards to the champion and finalists on Friday, October 18, 2024

Sacramento, Calif. – The California Manufacturers & Technology Association (CMTA) announced today the winner of the 2024 “Coolest Thing Made in California” contest. Northrop Grumman’s World’s Fastest Microchip emerged as the champion of this year’s contest, solidifying its place as a leader in California’s technological sector.

More than 246,000 votes were counted over four rounds of voting from the public. The Top Four products included Phenix Technology Inc.’s First Due Fire Helmet, made in Riverside; Pivotal’s Helix – a personal EVTOL – made in Palo Alto; and Amai Inc.’s Edible Cups, made in Carlsbad. The “Coolest Thing Made in California” contest, hosted by CMTA and sponsored by JPMorganChase has been a celebration of the state’s unwavering spirit of innovation.

“Searching for California’s most innovative, unique and coolest things brought forth 138 products made by our state’s greatest manufacturing companies,” said Lance Hastings, CMTA’s CEO & President. “This competition, and Northrop Grumman’s microchip is evidence that the country’s top talent is in California. Investing in our manufacturers is imperative to keep cool things made here.”

Northrop Grumman was awarded a trophy during CMTA’s MakingCA Conference, which celebrates California’s 30,000 manufacturers during October – Manufacturing Month – on Friday, October 18, 2024. Speakers at the conference included the CEO of People’s Choice Beef Jerky, Brian Bianchetti, Co-Founder of BizHaven Anna Towne, and an Energy Panel sponsored by SMUD, and a panel on the state of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in manufacturing.

The World’s Fastest Microchip is a California-made microelectronics chip or integrated circuit – manufactured out of a Microelectronics Foundry in Redondo Beach, CA – which is a type of “amplifier” for signals. The microchip is a hundred times smaller than a sand grain, one-tenth the width of a human hair, and 1,000 times faster processing speed than microchips in smartphones. The microchip holds the Guinness World Record for the fastest microchip ever made, operating at 1 trillion cycles per second, or 1 terahertz, which is 150 billion cycles faster than the previous record of 850 gigahertz, set in 2012.

Northrop Grumman is a leader in designing, fabricating, packaging and delivering microelectronics to the military, aerospace, and commercial markets. For more than 50 years, Northrop Grumman has been offering a wide range of trusted foundry and semiconductor services that deliver high-performing and reliable microelectronics.

Northrop Grumman’s Microelectronics Foundry is located in Assembly District 66, represented by Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, and Senate District 24, represented by Senator Ben Allen. The two legislators presented Northrop Grumman with a a joint resolution, honoring this achievement.

The contest is a unique bracket-style tournament in which the public was invited to nominate and vote for their favorite California-made products. The contest coincides with Friday, October 4, 2024, being National Manufacturing Day, and October being Manufacturing Month. The “Coolest Thing Made in California” contest highlights the outstanding products manufactured in the state and underscores the importance of manufacturing to California’s economy and its role in driving innovation. The industry employs 1.3 million people and contributes $310 billion to the state’s annual GDP.

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About CMTA

The California Manufacturers & Technology Association has advocated for pro-growth laws and regulations before the California legislature and administrative agencies since 1918. The total output from manufacturing in California is $300 billion per year, roughly 10 percent of the total economic output of the state. Manufacturers employ 1.3 million Californians paying wages more than $25,000 higher than other non-farm employers in the state. For more information, visit CMTA’s website.