Gordon Moore, a microprocessor industry pioneer and co-founder of what was once the world's largest chip maker, died Friday at the age of 94, Intel said.
Moore was a giant in modern technological change, helping companies put ever more powerful chips into smaller computers.
An engineer by training, he co-founded Intel in July 1968, eventually serving as president, chief executive officer, and chairman of the board.
Santa Clara, Calif.-based Intel said Moore died "at his home in Hawaii, surrounded by his family."
Since its inception, Intel has been known for continuous innovation and has grown to become one of the largest and most important technology companies.
In a 1965 article, Moore first coined the theory that later became known as "Moore's Law". It states that the performance of integrated circuits essentially doubles every year. He later amended the law, saying the doubling would take place every two years.
This axiom has been true for decades and has become synonymous with rapid technological change in the modern world.
In a 2008 interview, Moore said, "All I was trying to do was get the message out there that putting more stuff in a chip would make all electronics cheaper.
After earning a doctorate from Caltech, Moore and his colleagues joined his Fairchild Semiconductor Laboratory in 1957. Fairchild Semiconductor Laboratory was one of the first companies to manufacture commercially viable transistors and integrated circuits.
As the company grew, the seed was planted for what would become the rural peninsula south of San Francisco known as Silicon Valley. Moore and longtime colleague Robert Noyce went independent in 1968, bringing in a third, Andy Grove, who would later become Intel's CEO.
Moore said he retired from Intel in 2006.
In his lifetime, he gave over $5.1 billion to charity through foundations he founded with his 72-year-old wife Betty.
Harvey Feinberg, chairman of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, said: "He never wanted to be famous, but Gordon's vision and life's work are phenomenal, shaping our everyday lives. enabled innovation and technological development.
Intel leaders paid tribute to Moore. Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger said:
"He left a legacy that changed the lives of everyone on the planet. His memory will live on," Gelsinger added on Twitter.