25th March 2023 Gordon Moore (1929-2023) – an obituary Gordon Moore, co-founder of Intel and the man responsible for "Moore's Law", has died at the age of 94.
Intel and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation have announced that company co-founder Gordon Moore passed away on Friday 24th March. The foundation reports that he died peacefully, surrounded by family at his home in Hawaii. Moore is best known for his observation in 1965, which became known as Moore's Law. He predicted that the number of transistors on a microchip would double every two years, leading to an exponential increase in computing power and a decrease in cost. This law became the driving force behind the development of the modern computer industry, with a profound impact on technology and society. Born on 3rd January 1929, in San Francisco, California, Moore earned his Bachelor's degree in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, and a PhD in Chemistry and Physics from the California Institute of Technology. In 1956, he co-founded Fairchild Semiconductor with Robert Noyce and six other engineers. In 1968, he co-founded Intel Corporation with Noyce, serving as CEO until 1987, and then as the Chairman of the Board. He oversaw a company that, by 1971, had brought to market the world's first microprocessor, and by 1991 had established itself as the world's largest semiconductor company. He became Chairman Emeritus in 1997. Commenting on his famous law, he once explained: "I never expected my extrapolation to be very precise. However, over the next ten years, as I plotted new data points, they actually scattered closely along my extrapolated curve." Moore received the National Medal of Technology from President George H.W. Bush in 1990, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom – the United States' highest civilian honour – from President George W. Bush in 2002.
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. After retiring from Intel in 2006, he served as the Foundation's Chairman of the Board, until transitioning to Chairman Emeritus in 2018. "Gordon Moore defined the technology industry through his insight and vision. He was instrumental in revealing the power of transistors, and inspired technologists and entrepreneurs across the decades," said Pat Gelsinger, Intel CEO. "We at Intel remain inspired by Moore's Law and intend to pursue it until the periodic table is exhausted. Gordon's vision lives on as our true north as we use the power of technology to improve the lives of every person on Earth. My career and much of my life took shape within the possibilities fuelled by Gordon's leadership at the helm of Intel, and I am humbled by the honour and responsibility to carry his legacy forward." "Gordon was a brilliant scientist and one of America's leading entrepreneurs and business leaders," said Frank D. Yeary, Chair of Intel's Board of Directors. "It is impossible to imagine the world we live in today, with computing so essential to our lives, without the contributions of Gordon Moore. He will always be an inspiration to our Intel family and his thinking at the core of our innovation culture."
"His law practically gave rise to this community," said a member of Reddit's r/Singularity, which counts more than 270,000 users, placing it within the top 1% of largest groups on the website. Somewhat ironically, Moore himself expressed doubt over the technological singularity. In a 2008 interview, he commented: "I am a sceptic – I don't believe this kind of thing is likely to happen, at least for a long time. And I don't know why I feel that way. The development of humans, what evolution has come up with, involves a lot more than just the intellectual capability. You can manipulate your fingers and other parts of your body. I don't see how machines are going to overcome that overall gap, to reach that level of complexity, even if we get them so they're intellectually more capable than humans." Regardless, Moore's contributions to the computer industry and his impact on society will be felt for many generations to come. The law he formulated continues to this day and has the potential to continue for the next 200 years. Moore married Betty Irene Whitaker in 1950, who survives him. Moore is also survived by sons Kenneth and Steven and four grandchildren.
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