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Despite all the “miracle chip” press and TV publicity, half the firms in The Times 1000 were unaware of the potential of microprocessors, according to a Department of Industry report earlier this year. To correct matters, DoI consultants PA Management set out in May on a three‐month crusade to convert 3,000 hand‐picked industrial and trade union leaders to the new technological faith. Education and training officers should consider the other side of the coin. Even before this campaign, 47 per cent of The Times 1000 were aware of the new microelectronics. About 80 leading companies — mainly in high technology like defence and communications — were already producing microprocessor‐based products. Some 22 per cent were actively re‐training, and a further 17 per cent were deciding what action to take. This level of awareness, in a technology so new, is truly remarkable. But whether awareness can be translated into effective new product development — ahead of foreign competitors — now depends on industry's capacity to re‐train on an unprecedented scale.