Moore is no more

ONE OF THE PIONEERS OF THE PC INDUSTRY has passed away. Gordon E. Moore cofounded Intel in 1968, and was its CEO and chairman for many years. His contribution to the company was enormous, but his place in history is assured by an observation he made in 1965, published in Electronics magazine.

He noticed that the number of components in an integrated circuit doubled every year, and speculated that this trend would continue for another ten. This became known as Moore’s

Law, although he never used the word ‘law’.

In 1975 he throttled back, and postulated that after 1980 it would take two years to double. He was largely proved right. Ironically, this observation became the target for chip builders. It proved remarkably accurate, too.

The prediction for 1975 was for a chip with 65,000 transistors, and Intel made one with 65,536. Whether or not Moore’s Law still applies is moot, although some things have slowed down as we reach a number of limitations, including immovable ones such as atomic scale. It took until 2010 for it to slow, and by 2020 some claimed it was over, while others believe it to be alive and well. Mr. Moore’s observation remains part of the industry’s ethos. It provided an impetus for Intel, which became one of the most important companies in the world, involved in a business that changed the world. Moore’s Law was, as the celebrated technology journalist Michael S. Malone put it, the metronome of modern life. He also claimed it as Silicon Valley’s greatest legacy: a commitment to continual progress. Quite an achievement.