Gordon Moore, co-founder of Intel and a pioneer in the semiconductor industry, passed away at the age of 94. Moore’s prediction that the number of transistors on microchips would roughly double every year since integrated circuits were invented became known as “Moore’s Law,” which helped push Intel and rival chipmakers to aggressively target their research and development resources to make sure that rule of thumb came true. Under his and Robert Noyce’s leadership, Intel invented the microprocessors that would open the way to the personal computer revolution. Moore was also a philanthropist who donated some $5 billion in Intel stock to his family foundation. He supported environmental causes through his foundation and gave hundreds of millions to his alma mater, the California Institute of Technology, to keep it at the forefront of technology and science and backed the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence project, known as SETI. Moore received a Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, from President George W. Bush in 2002.
Intel Co-Founder Gordon Moore Passes Away at 94
Gordon Moore, the co-founder of Intel and a pioneer in the semiconductor industry, passed away at the age of 94 on Friday. He was the rolled-up-sleeves engineer within a triumvirate of technology luminaries that eventually put “Intel Inside” processors in more than 80% of the world’s personal computers. Moore’s prediction that the number of transistors on microchips would roughly double every year since integrated circuits were invented became known as “Moore’s Law,” which helped push Intel and rival chipmakers to aggressively target their research and development resources to make sure that rule of thumb came true.
Moore’s prediction helped drive much of the world’s technological progress for half a century and allowed the advent of personal computers, the internet, and Silicon Valley giants like Apple, Facebook, and Google. Chips have become more efficient and less expensive at an exponential rate since his article, which was published two decades before the PC revolution and more than 40 years before Apple launched the iPhone.
Even though he predicted the PC movement, Moore told Forbes magazine that he did not buy a home computer until the late 1980s. A San Francisco native, Moore earned a Ph.D. in chemistry and physics in 1954 at the California Institute of Technology. He went to work at the Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory, where he met future Intel co-founder Robert Noyce. Part of the “traitorous eight,” they departed in 1957 to launch Fairchild Semiconductor. In 1968, Moore and Noyce left Fairchild to start the memory chip company soon to be named Intel, an abbreviation of Integrated Electronics. Moore and Noyce’s first hire was another Fairchild colleague, Andy Grove, who would lead Intel through much of its explosive growth in the 1980s and 1990s.
Moore’s legacy will continue to shape the tech industry for years to come, and his contributions to the world of technology will not be forgotten.
Intel Co-Founder Gordon Moore Passes Away at 94
Gordon Moore, co-founder of Intel and a pioneer in the semiconductor industry, passed away at the age of 94 on Friday. Moore, along with Robert Noyce and Andy Grove, formed a powerhouse partnership that invented the microprocessors that would open the way to the personal computer revolution. He was executive president until 1975, although he and CEO Noyce considered themselves equals. From 1979 to 1987, Moore was chairman and CEO and he remained chairman until 1997.
Moore was also a philanthropist who donated some $5 billion in Intel stock to his family foundation. He supported environmental causes through his foundation, which took on projects such as protecting the Amazon River basin and salmon streams in the United States, Canada, and Russia. Moore also gave hundreds of millions to his alma mater, the California Institute of Technology, to keep it at the forefront of technology and science and backed the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence project, known as SETI.
Moore’s obvious talent also inspired other engineers working for him, and, under his and Noyce’s leadership, Intel invented the microprocessors that would open the way to the personal computer revolution. He was executive president until 1975 although he and CEO Noyce considered themselves equals. From 1979 to 1987 Moore was chairman and CEO and he remained chairman until 1997.
Moore received a Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, from President George W. Bush in 2002. He and his wife had two children.
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