The pioneer of the microprocessor industry, co-founder of Intel, Gordon Moore, died a few days ago at the age of 94.

The Intel & Moore Family Foundation said in a statement that he died on Friday, March 24, 2023, surrounded by his family at his home in Hawaii, USA.

The beginning and the founding of "Intel"

Moore was one of the giants of technological transformation in the modern era, contributing to the creation of more powerful chips for use in microcomputers, and Moore, who holds a doctorate in chemistry, founded NM Electronics in collaboration with physicist Robert Noyce, nicknamed the "Mayor of Silicon Valley" in 1968.

A few months later, the two men bought Intel for $15,1979, and Gordon Moore served as the company's CEO from 1987 to <>.

In 1971, Intel introduced to the market the first microprocessor, equivalent to the capacity of a computer on a chip, a programmable processor containing thousands of transistors, in a technological revolution at the time.

Today, Intel is the most important semiconductor manufacturer in the United States, and the third in the world in terms of business volume, after South Korea's Samsung and Taiwan's TSMC.

Moore's Law and the Current Technology Industry

In a 1965 article, Moore wrote that thanks to improvements in technology, the number of transistors on microchips has almost doubled every year since the invention of integrated circuits.

Gordon predicted that the number of transistors in processors would continue to double in what became known as Moore's Law, which was later amended to become every two years. Moore's Law has helped push Intel and rival chipmakers to aggressively exploit their R&D resources to make sure the baseline is met.

After Moore's article, chips have become more efficient and less expensive at an exponential rate, helping to drive the world's technological progress for half a century, allowing personal computers to spread widely, and the emergence of internet and Silicon Valley giants such as Apple, Facebook, and Google.

In a 2005 interview, Moore said, "It's definitely good to be in the right place at the right time. I've been very fortunate to get into the semiconductor industry in its infancy, and I've had the opportunity to grow from the time we couldn't make a single transistor to the time we put 1.7 billion of them on a single chip! It was an extraordinary journey."

In recent years, Intel's competitors, such as Nvidia Corp., have asserted that Moore's Law no longer applies, as improvements in chip manufacturing have slowed.

But despite manufacturing stumbles that have caused Intel to lose market share in recent years, current CEO Pat Gelsinger said he believes the Moore Act still applies, with the company investing billions of dollars in transformation efforts.

Moore and his companion Robert Noyce bought the name "Intel" for $15,<> (Reuters)

A legacy that changes the world

Maurice Zhang, founder of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., the world's largest chipmaker, said Moore has been a great and respected friend for more than 60 years.

In a statement released by TSMC, Zhang said, "With Gordon's departure, almost all of my first-generation colleagues in the semiconductor industry are gone."

During his lifetime, Moore donated more than $5.1 billion to charitable causes through the foundation he set up with his 72-year-old wife, Betty.

Harvey Feinberg, president of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, said: "Although he never aspired to be a famous name, Gordon's vision and work in life enabled the tremendous innovation and technological advancements that shape our daily lives.

Today, we lost a visionary.

Gordon Moore, thank you for everything. pic.twitter.com/bAiBAtmd9K

— Intel (@intel) March 25, 2023

What did Silicon Valley leaders say about him?

Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger said, "He has been instrumental in uncovering the power of transistors, inspiring technologists and entrepreneurs over the decades. He left behind a legacy that changed the lives of every person on the planet."

Google CEO Sundar Pichai said in a tweet that Moore's vision "inspired many of us to pursue technology," while Apple CEO Tim Cook described him as "one of the founding fathers of Silicon Valley, and that the world has lost a giant with the passing of Gordon Moore, one of the founders of Silicon Valley, and the true visionary who paved the way for the technological revolution."

Cook added on Twitter, "Everyone who followed us owes him gratitude. May he rest in peace."