Future: Computers and Telecommunications

Dr. Gordon E. Moore is a visionary. His prediction in 1965, widely known as “Moore’s Law,” suggested that the number of  transistors on a chip doubles about every two years.

Moore’s Law has become the guiding principle for the semiconductor industry to deliver increasingly more powerful chips while decreasing the cost of electronics.

The predictability of Moore’s Law sends organizing and coordinating effects throughout the semiconductor industry, setting the pace of innovation. And since semiconductors increasingly comprise a growing portion of electronics components and systems, either used directly by consumers or incorporated into end-use items purchased by consumers, the impact of Moore’s Law has led users and consumers to come to expect a continuous stream of faster, better, and cheaper high-technology products. Decades later, Moore’s Law is still the future for the semiconductor Industry.

Moore co-founded Intel in 1968, serving initially as executive vice president. He became president and CEO in 1975 and held that post until he was elected chairman and CEO in 1979. He was named chairman emeritus in 1997. Intel has pioneered new technologies in the fields of computer memory, integrated circuits and microprocessor design.

Moore has also served as a director of Gilead Sciences Inc., a member of the National Academy of Engineering, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Engineers as well as on the board of trustees of the California Institute of Technology.

He received the National Medal of Technology in 1990 and the Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, from George W. Bush in 2002. Gordon Moore was awarded the 2008 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Medal of Honor for his contributions to the advancement of semiconductor technology, both as an engineer and entrepreneur, and for helping to shape the global electronics industry. The award is based on technical innovations that meet challenges around the globe.