Gordon Moore, Intel Co Founder Engineer, Passed Away at 94

On March 24, Gordon Moore, founder engineer of Intel Co and famous for his prediction of miniaturization in semiconductor technology, passed away at 94 years old surrounded by his family in Hawaii. He will be missed by many but remembered fondly for his insightful insight that helped shape this industry.

Born in San Francisco, Moore earned his PhD in chemistry from Caltech. After working at Shockley Semiconductor for several years, he co-founded Fairchild with Robert Noyce.

Born in San Francisco

Gordon Moore, the Silicon Valley engineer whose theory on computer-chip development set the bar for progress in electronics industry, passed away at 94 years. He co-founded Fairchild Semiconductor in 1968 and Intel, a global semiconductor giant that supplies over 80% of personal computers with their most important parts: microprocessors.

He earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry from UC Berkeley and a Ph.D. in physics and chemistry from Caltech, working alongside William Shockley at his Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory near Palo Alto before co-founding Fairchild Electronics in 1957.

His company mushroomed from $3 million in 1957 to about $1 billion today, making him and his co-founders billionaires and entrepreneurs. Among other innovations, Moore invented the transistor: a tiny piece of silicon that made computers much more powerful than before. Furthermore, he established what has come to be known as Moore's Law: that predicts that the number of transistors on a chip will double every two years.

After leaving Fairchild, Moore co-founded Intel with Robert Noyce in 1968 and served as its president and CEO from 1975 to 1987.

Sports fisherman Bob Moore was deeply concerned with the loss of nature. With his wife Betty, he founded the Gordon Moore Foundation in 2000 to finance environmental conservation, science projects and Bay Area causes.

In 2021, The Foundation reported assets of $9.5 billion. It funded environmental conservation, patient care and scientific research across the globe as well as locally. It supported initiatives like protecting the Amazon River in Brazil, salmon streams in U.S. and Canada, plus search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) throughout space.

Educated at UC Berkeley and Caltech

Gordon Moore, co-founder and engineering genius of Intel Co, passed away at 94 years old. According to the company, he passed away at his home in Hawaii.

Born in San Francisco and raised in Pescadero, he earned a degree in chemistry from UC Berkeley in 1950, followed by his PhD from Caltech in 1954. Following that he worked for Fairchild Semiconductor on the same project but left due to leadership problems within the company before co-founding Intel with Robert Noyce in 1968.

At Fairchild, Moore made major advancements in the development of semiconductors and integrated circuits - small pieces of silicon used in computer chips. He also coined what would become known as Moore's Law, which states that the number of transistors on a microchip will double annually for the foreseeable future.

In 1965, Moore was asked by Electronics Magazine to estimate how many transistors would be on a microchip within five years. His prediction: roughly double annually - spurring chipmakers to perfect their manufacturing processes at an ever-increasing pace.

Moore's Law was the driving force behind Intel's meteoric rise to dominance in microprocessors, or tiny computer chips. Not only did Moore develop his own concepts, but he also inspired other engineers to innovate as well.

He was an ardent philanthropist, founding with his wife Betty a foundation dedicated to environmental conservation, science and Bay Area causes. Through the foundation, he donated more than $5 billion worth of stock for various projects around the world.

Moore is a renowned figure in technology history as both its founder and former executive. His name has become synonymous with semiconductors, and his ideas and leadership have guided the industry for decades.

Co-founded Fairchild Semiconductor

Moore was one of the original members of Silicon Valley. He cofounded Fairchild Semiconductor, which he helped transform into the world's first microchip maker.

Though Fairchild had achieved great success, the company experienced financial difficulty in the late 1960s due to increased competition from area startups and declining stock prices, prompting Fairchild to sell off some of its business units.

Gordon Moore Intel Co remained determined to keep developing technology despite this setback, having created what became known as "Moore's Law." Despite these setbacks, his invention remains popular today.

This law states that the number of transistors on a chip will double annually, and this has been proven to be accurate time after time.

Gordon Moore Intel Co sought help for their fledgling company and recruited two other engineers: Robert Noyce and Andy Grove. Together they formed Integrated Electronics Corporation (later shortened to Intel).

Moore founded this company to foster innovation in electronics. Additionally, he promoted a corporate culture that encouraged employees to seek mentorships.

In addition to his work with semiconductors, Moore was an influential member of the American business community. He and his wife Betty were active participants in philanthropy as well.

He founded the Gordon Moore Foundation, which continues to make a difference today. Additionally, their work has had an immense effect on education and science research.

Through his life, Moore sought to be an example and leader for others. His passion for science and technology advancement earned him the title of one of America's wealthiest people; his philanthropic efforts earned him numerous accolades and awards, such as the National Medal of Technology and Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Co-founded Intel

Moore was raised in Pescadero, a coastal town south of San Francisco by his parents Walter H. Moore - a deputy sheriff - and Florence Almira Williamson who owned a general store.

After earning his doctorate in chemistry and physics in 1954, Moore went on to work as a scientist at the Applied Physics Laboratory of Johns Hopkins University in Maryland. However, he soon grew disenchanted with the research being done there and resolved to return West and establish his own company.

In 1956, he joined William Shockley's semiconductor firm in Mountain View with hopes of starting a business using his expertise on solid-state processing to manufacture inexpensive silicon transistors.

Moore enjoyed his work at Shockley Semiconductor, but morale was low and the company struggled to put its MOS technology into production. So in 1957 he left Shockley's company and cofounded Fairchild Semiconductor - eventually becoming Intel.

Intel, now one of the world's largest computer chip producers, still designs its products according to Moore's Law: that the number of transistors on an integrated circuit doubles annually. This principle has been at the heart of advances in semiconductor technology which have allowed computers to become smaller, faster and more powerful over time.

Gordon Moore and his wife Betty have dedicated much of their lives to charitable work. Their foundation, The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, has over $6 billion in assets and donates roughly $300 million yearly towards environmental conservation, patient care initiatives, and scientific research around the world.

On March 24th, 2023, he passed away peacefully at his home in Hawaii surrounded by family. At 94 years old, he was sadly missed.

Founder of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation

On Friday, Dr. Gordon Moore passed away at 94 years old surrounded by family in Hawaii after co-founding Fairchild Semiconductor in 1957 and Intel Corporation--the creators of the world's first microprocessor. His achievements made him one of history's most renowned chemists.

His philanthropy was focused on three primary areas: environmental conservation, scientific research and higher education. With his wife Betty, he established the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation in 2000 to dedicate themselves to these causes with purposeful dedication.

Moore had a deep-seated belief in science and its power of discovery. Additionally, he was passionate about the future of technology and innovation.

He was an icon in the semiconductor industry, shaping what we now refer to as Silicon Valley. A major figure in technology development and an inspiration to many, he left us with a lasting legacy.

He was the creator of Moore's Law, which predicts computer chip technology will double every two years and become more powerful at lower costs. His prediction in 1965 proved accurate;

Today, The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation strives to foster lasting, meaningful change through sustained, scientific philanthropy. It supports groundbreaking scientific discovery, environmental conservation efforts, patient care innovations, as well as preserving San Francisco Bay Area's unique character.

The foundation has supported scientists at numerous institutions. It has provided grants to researchers in biomedical engineering and nanotechnology as well as professors at universities such as California Institute of Technology.

The foundation's grants are typically directed towards early-stage inventors who create innovative tools, technologies, processes or approaches that could accelerate progress in one of its three core areas. Many of these scientists have been recognized as Moore Inventor Fellows.