Gordon Moore, the co-founder of Intel Corporation and the pioneer of the microchip industry, passed away at the age of 94. His famous prediction of the doubling of transistors on a semiconductor every year, known as “Moore’s Law,” became a standard for the tech industry’s progress and innovation. Before co-founding Intel in 1968, Moore worked for William Shockley, who invented the transistor. Moore and seven other colleagues eventually left Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory to create Fairchild Semiconductor, which pioneered the integrated circuit. Despite his success and wealth, Moore remained known for his modesty. He received various accolades throughout his life, including the National Medal of Technology and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Moore is survived by his wife, two sons, and four grandchildren. His legacy in the tech industry will continue to inspire and influence future generations.
Intel Co-Founder and Philanthropist Gordon Moore Dies at 94
Gordon Moore, the co-founder of Intel Corporation, passed away at the age of 94. He was known for his famous observation, now called “Moore’s Law,” which he made in 1965, predicting that the capacity and complexity of integrated circuits would double every year. This observation became a standard for the tech industry’s progress and innovation, and it has been applied to various electronic devices, including hard drives and computer monitors.
Moore, who held a Ph.D. in chemistry and physics, made his famous prediction three years before co-founding Intel in 1968. He and his wife established the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, which focuses on environmental conservation, science, patient care, and projects in the San Francisco Bay area. The foundation has donated more than USD 5.1 billion to charitable causes since its founding in 2000.
Born on January 3, 1929, in San Francisco, Moore grew up in the small coastal town of Pescadero. He attended San Jose State University and then transferred to the University of California, Berkeley, where he graduated with a degree in chemistry. After getting his Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology in 1954, he worked briefly as a researcher at Johns Hopkins University.
Intel Chairman Frank Yeary called Moore a brilliant scientist and a leading American entrepreneur, stating that it is impossible to imagine the world we live in today, with computing so essential to our lives, without the contributions of Gordon Moore.
In his book “Moore’s Law: The Life of Gordon Moore, Silicon Valley’s Quiet Revolutionary,” author David Brock called him “the most important thinker and doer in the story of silicon electronics.”
Moore’s legacy has been recognized and praised by many. Carver Mead, a retired California Institute of Technology computer scientist who coined the term ”Moore’s Law” in the early 1970s, said in 2005 that it’s the human spirit and what made Silicon Valley successful.
The tech industry and the world have lost a visionary and a leader in Gordon Moore. His wisdom, humility, and generosity have inspired those who have met and worked with him, and his contributions will forever be remembered.
Gordon Moore: The Pioneer of Microchips and Co-Founder of Intel
Gordon Moore, the co-founder of Intel, had an interesting journey into the microchip industry. He started working for William Shockley, who was one of the Nobel Prize winners in physics for inventing the transistor. However, Moore and seven other colleagues eventually left Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory to create Fairchild Semiconductor. The group, known as the “traitorous eight,” pioneered the integrated circuit, which was a refinement of the transistor.
Moore’s success continued with the founding of Intel in 1968, which was based on joining the words “integrated” and “electronics.” The company was founded with USD 500,000 of Moore and his colleague’s own money and backing from venture capitalist Arthur Rock. Moore became Intel’s chief executive in 1975, and his tenure as CEO ended in 1987, though he remained chairman for another ten years. He was chairman emeritus from 1997 to 2006.
Moore received various accolades throughout his life, including the National Medal of Technology and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Despite his success and wealth, he remained known for his modesty, referring to Moore’s Law, his famous prediction of the doubling of transistors on a semiconductor every year, as “a lucky guess that got a lot more publicity than it deserved.”
Moore passed away at the age of 94, leaving behind his wife of 50 years, two sons, and four grandchildren. His legacy in the tech industry will continue to inspire and influence future generations.
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