Tech community mourns loss of Intel co-founder Gordon Moore
In memory: Intel reports that co-founder and semiconductor pioneer Gordon Moore passed away at his home yesterday, March 24. Moore, whose list of contributions spans everything from emerging technologies to conservation, helped shape the technology landscape we know and rely on today. He continued to create and support advances in conservation, patient care, and scientific discovery, along with his 72-year-old wife, Betty Irene Whitaker Moore.
Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation And Intel announced Moore’s death following his peaceful death at his home in Hawaii. He is survived by his wife Betty, sons Kenneth and Stephen, and four grandchildren.
Today we have lost a seer.
Gordon Moore, thank you for everything. pic.twitter.com/bAiBAtmd9K
— Intel (@intel) March 25, 2023
Moore’s list of accomplishments is long, spanning decades of technological innovation. After graduating from the Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University in 1958, Moore joined Fairchild Semiconductor, eventually becoming Director of Research and Development. During this period, Moore noticed that the number of transistors in an integrated circuit (IC) was doubling roughly every two years, now commonly known as “Moore’s law”.
In July 1968, Moore and another colleague founded NM Technologies, which later became the Intel Corporation. Moore served as an executive vice president of Intel until he became the company’s president in 1975. He later served as Chairman and CEO of Intel, and in 1997 was appointed Honorary Chairman of Intel until his official retirement in 2006.
In addition to his contributions to the tech landscape, Moore has a long history of philanthropic work. In 2000 he and his wife based Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. The foundation sponsors projects in a variety of subjects, including astronomy, biology, data-driven discovery, and marine microbiology. Since its first grant in 2001, the Foundation has funded 3,724 science, environment, Bay Area conservation, and patient care grants totaling more than $4.9 billion.
Moore has a collection of accolades and confessions too long to list. In 2022, Intel renamed its Ronler Acres Oregon campus Gordon Moore Park to Ronler Acres. His RA4 building was also renamed The Moore Center and the café is now known as The Gordon.
The renaming followed Moore’s impressive list of lifetime accomplishments and recognitions. In 1998, he was enrolled in the Computer History Museum. In 2002, Moore received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush. In 2008, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers awarded the silicon pioneer with the prestigious IEEE Medal of Honor.
“Gordon Moore defined the technology industry with his insight and vision,” praises Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger. “He was instrumental in unlocking the power of transistors and inspiring technologists and entrepreneurs for decades. We at Intel continue to be inspired by Moore’s law and intend to follow it until the periodic table is exhausted. Gordon’s vision lives on as our true north as we harness the power of technology to improve the lives of every person on Earth. My career and much of my life has been shaped by opportunity fueled by Gordon’s leadership at the helm of Intel, and I am proud and honored to carry on his legacy.”
