Gordon Moore’s legacy will live on through new paths & incarnations

-Gordon Moore’s passing reminds us of how far we have come
-One of many pioneers of chip industry-but most remembered
-The most exponential & ubiquitous industry of all times
-“No exponential is forever”- Gordon Moore was an exponential

Remembering Gordon Moore

He will be remembered most for his observation (some say prediction) of the exponential growth of semiconductor technology.

This could further be described as cost per transistor or cost per square inch of silicon or whatever metric you use to describe the basic value of the semiconductor industry.

He was much, much more than the “Moore’s Law” phrase he coined, as he was one of the “traitorous eight” that left Shockley Semiconductor to form Fairchild Semiconductor and then later went on to found Intel with Shockley cohort Robert Noyce and Fairchild cohort Andy Grove.

Birth of the semiconductor industry

Some would suggest that the semiconductor industry started 75 years ago with the invention of the transistor. I would suggest that the true start of the semiconductor industry was 65 years ago with the formation of Fairchild which pioneered the “integrated circuit” which built and connected multiple transistors on a single piece of silicon and was the genesis of a new way of building devices at a huge scale.

Had we continued to use discrete transistors, we would have not seen the exponential growth and instead would have just replaced vacuum tubes with smaller more efficient transistors without the potential for exponential growth.

Gordon Moore- Both Pioneer & Father to an industry

Gordon Moore (and many others) were there for not just the birth of the industry but perhaps more importantly the development and advancement that set the industry on a path and trajectory of advancement and growth that later became the famous observation.

It would have been enough if he just helped invent the integrated circuit at Fairchild. If he had just started Intel. If he had just coined the observation of “Moore’s Law”. But he did all this and much more, he helped create an entire industry that 65 short years later has its presence felt in virtually every thing we touch and don’t touch today.

Semiconductors are like the unseen yet enabling oxygen we breathe every minute of every day

We rely on semiconductors in the most critical ways every second of our lives, yet they didn’t exist a mere 65 years ago. The semiconductor industry was created out of thin air to become the most pervasive, fastest growing on the planet.

This is truly the legacy of Gordon Moore and others more so than any single phrase or observation.

“No exponential is forever”- Gordon Moore

We know in both math and everyday life and death that no true exponentials go on forever, and that is sadly the case with Gordon Moore himself. His legacy, however , will go on forever for both the myriad of roles he played in the semiconductor industry as well as his philanthropic endeavors later on in life.

We will miss a truly great person…….

About Semiconductor Advisors LLC
Semiconductor Advisors is an RIA (a Registered Investment Advisor), specializing in technology companies with particular emphasis on semiconductor and semiconductor equipment companies. We have been covering the space longer and been involved with more transactions than any other financial professional in the space. We provide research, consulting and advisory services on strategic and financial matters to both industry participants as well as investors. We offer expert, intelligent, balanced research and advice. Our opinions are very direct and honest and offer an unbiased view as compared to other sources.

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