The semiconductor industry would likely be a few decades behind its current state if there had not been military and space applications for the transistor when it was invented. The reason is the gap between military and commercial viability, defined mostly by cost, and arguably by transistor size (and thus integrated circuit complexity) as well. That gap was filled with public money in the form of the US military budget. The industry grew, and at some point commercial viability started to grow out of that, and henceforth the industry could be sustained as such.

Had that scenario not occurred the industry would not have existed until advances in other sciences / industries would have created commercial viability for it indirectly.

you are the media you consume.