Gordon Moore, co-founder of Intel and creator of Moore’s Law, has passed away at the age of 94.
The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation announced on March 24 that Moore had passed away at his home in Hawaii.
As a child, Moore was more interested in chemistry than electronics. After completing his bachelor’s, Moore achieved a doctorate in physical chemistry in at the California Institute of Technology in 1954.
After working at the Applied Physics Laboratory of Johns Hopkins University in Maryland, Moore wanted more. He was given the opportunity in 1956 to work at the recently formed Shockley Semiconductor. This company is thought to be responsible for creating California’s Silicon Valley.
Less than a year later, Moore and a group of scientists and engineers formed their own company, Fairchild Semiconductor. He rose through the company to become the director of research and development. During his time there, Fairchild developed the planar process, the base process needed to produce an IC. Moore also greatly contributed to the development of the MOSFET during his time at Fairchild.
One of the things Moore is renowned for is the initial prediction of Moore’s Law. Moore predicted all the way back in 1965 that the number of transistors fitting on a
given area would double each year. 10 years later he adjusted his hypothesis to every two years. This prediction still rings mostly true today.
Just a few years after the initial prediction, Moore and long-time colleague Robert Noyce decided to found a new business. Thus, Intel Corporation was created. After initially being the executive vice president, Moore eventually became CEO and chairman of the board.
Moore became stepped down as CEO in 1987, and worked as the chairman and chairman emeritus before stepping down completely in 2006. Following his retirement and beforehand in the early 2000s, Moore established a charitable foundation with his wife Betty. Since its founding, The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation has donated more than $5.1 billion to charitable causes.
