Silicon Valley titan Gordon Moore, one of the co-founders of chip maker Intel and the creator of Moore’s Law has passed away at age 94.
Intel and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation announced that Gordon Moore died peacefully on Friday, “surrounded by family at his home in Hawaii”.
Moore and his longtime colleague Robert Noyce founded Intel in July 1968.
Prior to establishing Intel, Moore and Noyce participated in the founding of Fairchild Semiconductor, where they played central roles in the first commercial production of diffused silicon transistors and later the world’s first commercially viable integrated circuits.
At Intel, Moore initially served as executive vice president until 1975, when he became president.
In 1979, Moore was named chairman of the board and chief executive officer, posts he held until 1987, when he gave up the CEO position and continued as chairman. In 1997, Moore became chairman emeritus, stepping down in 2006.
During his lifetime, Moore also dedicated his focus and energy to philanthropy, particularly environmental conservation, science and patient care improvements.
Along with his wife of 72 years, he established the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, which has donated more than $5.1 billion to charitable causes since its founding in 2000.
“Those of us who have met and worked with Gordon will forever be inspired by his wisdom, humility, and generosity,” said Harvey Fineberg, foundation president.
Pat Gelsinger, Intel CEO, said that Gordon Moore was instrumental in revealing the power of transistors, and inspired technologists and entrepreneurs across the decades.
“We at Intel remain inspired by Moore’s Law and intend to pursue it until the periodic table is exhausted,” he noted.
In addition to Moore’s seminal role in founding two of the world’s pioneering technology companies, he famously forecast in 1965 that the number of transistors on an integrated circuit would double every year — a prediction that came to be known as Moore’s Law.
