Gordon Moore, Intel Co-Founder and Philanthropist, Passes Away at the Age of 94.

In 2001, there was a press conference where Gordon Moore, a renowned Intel Corp. co-founder who anticipated the expansion of the semiconductor industry, was seen beaming. An image taken at the event shows this.

Gordon Moore, one of Intel Corporation's founders who prophesized the expansion of the semiconductor sector, grins in a media briefing back in 2001.

Gordon Moore, one of the co-founders of Intel Corp., passed away in San Francisco. He was responsible for setting the rapid pace of advancement in the digital age, making a prediction in 1965 about how rapidly engineers would be able to increase computer chip capacity. Moore was 94 years old at the time of his death.

Intel and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation announced on Friday that Moore passed away at his residence in Hawaii.

Before co-founding Intel in 1968, Dr. Moore, who had a Doctorate in both chemistry and physics, made a remarkable prediction that is now widely referred to as "Moore's Law." He shared this observation in his article, which was one of many predictions about the future that were contributed by experts from different fields for Electronics magazine.

Moore made a forecast by sketching it on graph paper, based on the ongoing developments in the chip industry. His prediction was that the ability and intricacy of integrated circuits would increase twofold every year.

Essentially, Moore's observation was about how the number of transistors on a semiconductor doubled. However, in time, it has also come to be used to describe how new generations of electronic products tend to make their predecessors useless every 18 months or so. This applies to products like hard drives, computer monitors and many others.

The progress and innovation of the tech industry came to be measured by this as a typical behavior.

Carver Mead, a computer scientist who came up with the term "Moore's Law" in the 70s and retired from California Institute of Technology, stated that the human spirit is what gave birth to Silicon Valley way back in 2005. He added that it's the actual thing that's driving the industry.

In the long run, Moore became recognized for his altruistic deeds after he and his spouse constructed the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation that concentrates on safeguarding the environment, science, providing healthcare services as well as carrying out programs within the San Francisco Bay vicinity. As from 2000, the Foundation has dispensed over $5.1 billion to support diverse charitable initiatives.

The president of the foundation, Harvey Fineberg, stated that all of us who have had the opportunity to meet and collaborate with Gordon will always be motivated by the knowledge, humbleness, and unselfishness he displayed.

A computer created specifically for physicist Stephen Hawking was showcased in the library of The Issac Newton Institute of Mathematics in Cambridge, England on March 20, 1997. The computer was designed by Dr. Gordon Moore of the Intel Corporation, and Hawking was seen examining it in the presence of Dr. Moore. The customized computer was significant as it helped Stephen Hawking to communicate with others despite his physical limitations.

In the library of The Issac Newton Institute of Mathematics located in Cambridge, England, Stephen Hawking - a renowned physicist - was examining a newly crafted specialized computer alongside Dr. Gordon Moore of Intel Corporation on the 20th of March in the year 1997.

Born in the year 1929, Moore hailed from California. During his early years as a young boy, he developed an interest in experimenting with chemistry sets.

Once he received his Ph.D. from California University of Technology in 1954, he held a short-term position as a researcher at Johns Hopkins University.

He started his journey into microchips by working for William Shockley. Shockley won the Nobel Prize for physics in 1956 for his invention of the transistor. However, Moore and seven of his co-workers left Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory in less than two years. This was because they had grown weary of the poor management practices employed by Shockley himself.

When the "traitorous eight" deserted, it laid the groundwork for Silicon Valley's nonconformist mentality. This implies that engineers who didn't see eye to eye with their peers were unafraid to become rivals.

In 1957, a group of individuals who left Shockley established Fairchild Semiconductor. This company was among the pioneers in producing the integrated circuit, an innovation of the transistor.

Fairchild provided the electronic components which were utilized in the initial computers that astronauts utilized while on spacecraft.

During the year 1968, Moore and Robert Noyce, who was one of the eight engineers that left Shockley, ventured out on their own once again. They invested $500,000 of their personal funds and received the support of Arthur Rock, a venture capitalist to establish Intel. The name Intel is a combination of "integrated" and "electronics."

Moore took on the role of Intel's top boss in 1975. He served as CEO until 1987, but stayed on as chairman for another decade. From 1997 to 2006, he held the position of chairman emeritus.

He was given the National Medal of Technology by President George H.W. Bush in 1990 and was bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush in 2002.

Moore was well-off and famous, but he didn't show off. A while back, in 2005, he talked about Moore's Law, saying that it was just a fortunate prediction which got a lot of attention that it didn't really earn.

After 50 years of marriage, Betty remains as the devoted wife of the late gentleman who recently passed away. Left to cherish his memory are their two sons, namely Kenneth and Steven, and four lovable grandchildren.