Gordon Moore – in his own words
Gordon Moore, co-founder of Fairchild Semiconductor and Intel, has died at the age of 94.
Moore was one of the ‘traitorous eight’ who founded Fairchild Semiconductor in 1957, going on develop Moore’s Law in 1965 predicting that the number of transistors on an integrated circuit would double every year.
The Computer History Museum in Santa Clara, California, captured his oral history in 2015.
With colleague Robert Noyce he founded Intel in July 1968 and initially served as executive vice president until 1975, when he became president. In 1975 he revised his ‘Law’ with the doubling of transistors on an integrated circuit every two years for the next 10 years and by 1979 was named CEO and chairman, 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.
Setting up Fairchild’s European headquarters in Swindon, UK, also saw Intel set up in the same Wiltshire town but later the European HQ moved to Munich in Germany. There are now regional HQ’s being set up in France and Poland.
He was married for 72 years and established the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation in 2000 which has donated more than $5.1 billion to charitable causes.
“Though he never aspired to be a household name, Gordon’s vision and his life’s work enabled the phenomenal innovation and technological developments that shape our everyday lives. Yet those historic achievements are only part of his legacy. His and Betty’s generosity as philanthropists will shape the world for generations to come,” said Harvey Fineberg, president of the foundation.
“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,2 said Pat Gelsinger, Intel’s current CEO. “My career and much of my life took shape within the possibilities fueled by Gordon’s leadership at the helm of Intel, and I am humbled by the honour and responsibility to carry his legacy forward.”
After retiring from Intel in 2006, Moore divided his time between California and Hawaii, serving as chairman of the board for the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation until transitioning to chairman emeritus in 2018.
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