Gordon E. Moore , Ph.D.

Image source: http://www.fi.edu/tfi/exhibits/bower/02/business.html

Biographical Details and his impact on the development of the PC

Gordon E. Moore was born in San Francisco, California on 3 January 1929. At around the age 10 or 11 years old, after a next door neighbour received a chemistry kit for Christmas, realising they could make explosives and a variety of other 'neat' things, Gordon Moore's interest in chemistry was born.

As he grew, so did his interest in chemistry, in 1950 he gained his BSc in chemistry from the University of California at Berkley and in 1954 he went on to get his PhD in chemistry.

After his PhD, Moore found it hard to find technical work in California State, so it was in 1953, with Applied Physics Laboratory of Johns Hopkins University in Silver Spring, Maryland (Near Washington), Moore took his first job. At Applied Physics Labs he found the research relatively basic, he started to question the value of what he was currently doing and began to look for something more practical to do.

He was interviewed at Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, but declined the position, as he did not find the role attractive.

Moore, having declined the role drew the attention of Dr William Shockley, who knew people at Lawrence Livermore, therefore he got to see the names of those people who had turned down positions there. As a result he was offered a position at a new operation being set up in California, Shockley Semiconductors, one that William Shockley thought might need a chemist. The opportunity to help develop a new device, a silicon transistor and a move back to California, was too attractive an offer for Moore, hence he accepted the position, his first role in semiconductors.

Moore and 7 others, 'the traitorous 8'; as Shockley referred to them, having become increasingly unhappy with the detrimental management style of Shockley, left to start up a new company, Fairchild Semiconductor, a subsidiary of Fairchild Camera and Instrument.

Some very important early developments were made at Fairchild’s, such as the first silicon transistor to be built by the batch process, but given the management problems at Fairchild’s parent company, Moore became more frustrated in his job. Running the laboratory as director of research he was finding it increasingly difficult to transfer new ideas and the technology into the company’s products.  Bob Noyce a former member of the “traitorous 8” sensing no future at Fairchild’s decided it was time he left, Moore followed, also sensing it was time for him to do something new.

In 1968 the two of them decided upon a completely new start in the semiconductor industry and formed what was the beginning of Intel.

Initially serving as Executive Vice President of Intel, Moore became the President and Chief Executive Officer in 1975, a post he held until elected Chairman and Chief Executive Officer in 1979. He remained CEO until 1987 and was named Chairman Emeritus in 1997, a position he still holds today.

He is a director of Gilead Sciences Inc., a member of the National Academy of Engineering, and a Fellow of the IEEE. Moore also serves on the Board of Trustees of the California Institute of Technology.

 In 1990 he received the National Me dal of Technology from President George Bush.

Moore’s Law

In 1965, following an article, containing a graph, he had had published, Electronics Magazine 35th Anniversary Edition, asked Moore to predict the course of component technology for the next 10 years.

Gordon Moore predicted that the number of transistors the industry would be able to place on a computer chip would double every 18 months.

This prediction has become known more widely as Moore ’s Law, and the thing that Gordon Moore is most likely to be remembered for. Although updated in 1995 to every 2 years, whilst originally intended as a rule of thumb in 1965, given it’s relative accuracy, Moore’s Law has become the guiding principle for the industry to deliver ever-more-powerful semiconductor chips at proportionate decreases in cost.


By Michael Davis

Website Link and Review

http://www.intel.com/pressroom/kits/bios/moore.htm

 

The web page for Gordon E Moore is part of the Intel website. Considering the impact that he has made on the PC industry the website contains little information, although there are two downloadable images of him.

There is a search facility, but using this only brings up links to other information pages on Intel that contain very brief statements or reference to Gordon E Moore and Moore’s Law.

Due to the lack of in depth information on him or his work there is no need for any navigational tools, other than to provide links to other subject areas.

Despite the disappointment due to the lack of information on Gordon Moore the actual Intel website is rather good. There is consistency of navigation and layout throughout the site, which makes it easy to locate things. The design is simple but made interesting with good use of coloured images. The content was factual and academic and aimed at people with an already good knowledge base of processors.

Although the site is very up-to-date the overall feel is very clinical and matter of fact. This is definitely not a site for the computer novice.


By Dot Melvin

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