Gordon Moore, co-founder and former chairman of Intel, dies at 94

Gordon Moore, the co-founder and former chairman of tech giant Intel, died Friday at the age of 94, the company and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation announced.

A press release stated Moore died "surrounded by family" in Hawaii.

Moore and Robert Noyce founded Intel in 1968. Moore initially served as executive vice president until 1975, when he became president. In 1979, Moore was named chairman of the board and chief executive officer, positions he held until 1987, when he stepped down as CEO and continued as chairman.

Moore became chairman emeritus of Intel in 1997, stepping down in 2006.

"Those of us who have met and worked with Gordon will forever be inspired by his wisdom, humility and generosity," said foundation president Harvey Fineberg in a statement. "Though he never aspired to be a household name, Gordon's vision and his life's work enabled the phenomenal innovation and technological developments that shape our everyday lives. Yet those historic achievements are only part of his legacy."

Pat Gelsinger, the CEO of Intel, said, "Gordon Moore defined the technology industry through his insight and vision. He was instrumental in revealing the power of transistors, and inspired technologists and entrepreneurs across the decades."

Prior to Intel's founding, Moore and Noyce were involved in the founding of Fairchild Semiconductor, where they played central roles in the initial commercial production of diffused silicon transistors and later the world's first commercially viable integrated circuits.

In 1965, Moore made a prediction that became known as "Moore's Law," positing that the number of transistors in an integrated circuit would double every year, later revising it to every two years. Moore's prediction continues to be used in the semiconductor industry for long-term planning and research and development.

"The world lost a giant in Gordon Moore, who was one of Silicon Valley's founding fathers and a true visionary who helped pave the way for the technological revolution," Apple CEO Tim Cook tweeted. "All of us who followed owe him a debt of gratitude. May he rest in peace."

Along with his wife of 72 years, Betty Irene Whitaker, he established the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, which has donated more than $5.1 billion to charitable causes since its founding in 2000, according to the foundation.

Moore received the National Medal of Technology from President George H.W. Bush in 1990, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush in 2002.

In addition to his wife, Moore is survived by his sons, Kenneth and Steven, and four grandchildren.