Gordon Moore: The Man and the Law

On April 19, 1965, Gordon Moore-chemist, engineer and co-founder of Intel Corporation-published a paper in Electronics magazine entitled "Cramming More Components onto Integrated Circuits." In it he set forth the concept that became known as "Moore's Law," a principle that has propelled the technology revolution for half a century.

Moore's Law is an observation that computing power doubles roughly every two years, as it has since Moore first made the prediction. The impact of Moore's Law is a worldwide generation of computing that is cheap, powerful and ubiquitous. In that regard, Moore the man has been both prophet and prime mover of the Information Age.

Moore's life story is the story of an inventor and businessman whose influence on technology is arguably as great as that of Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, or Bill Gates. Now, for the first time, that story is told in his authorized biography-Moore's Law: The Life of Gordon Moore, Silicon Valley's Quiet Revolutionary. The book chronicles Moore's life-from his upbringing and education in California to his professional career at Shockley Semiconductor, Fairchild and Intel. It gives context to the high-tech power he helped to develop, and provides a clear and accessible introduction to the history and science of the silicon transistor-the technological building block that has transformed commerce, defense and every-day life around the world.

In partnership with the Chemical Heritage Foundation, we will observe the 50th anniversary of Moore's Law in a two-part symposium.

Part 1: 11 am- Moore's Law: The Life of Gordon Moore, Silicon Valley's Quiet Revolutionary

The morning session will feature a conversation with co-authors Arnold Thackray and David C. Brock. Thackray and Brock are both senior figures at the Chemical Heritage Foundation in Philadelphia-Thackray is the Chancellor, and Brock is Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Research. Together with London-based journalist Rachel Jones, they have meticulously crafted a biography that both parallels and predicts the rise of the Information Age. Museum CEO John Hollar will lead an in-depth conversation with Thackray and Brock about their writing and the impact of Moore's work.

Part 2: 1:30 pm- Moore's Law: Past and Future

In the afternoon, David Brock will moderate a panel session on the future of Moore's Law. Panelists will include Museum Fellow Carver Mead, the Gordon and Betty Moore Professor Emeritus of Engineering and Applied Science at the California Institute of Technology, and William H. Davidow, Partner at Mohr Davidow Ventures, former Intel executive and author of several books on technology, including "Overcorrected." The afternoon panel will include the Silicon Valley premiere of a 12-minute biographical film on Moore.

We are also delighted to welcome Jody Roberts, Director for the Institute for Research at CHF, who also will be taking part in the day's events.

Join us for this fascinating look at the life of one of the computing epoch's most influential figures and a glimpse ahead at the implications for Moore's Law in the future.

Registration for each event, and for lunch, at the weblink.