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Gordon Moore, tech legend and conservation philanthropist, has died at 94

Gordon Moore. Courtesy of the Moore Foundation.

Gordon Moore. Courtesy of the Moore Foundation.

  • Technology entrepreneur and conservation philanthropist Gordon Moore died on Friday, March 24, at the age of 94.
  • While most widely known for his career in technology, including predicting the pace of semiconductor chip development — which became known as Moore’s Law — and co-founding chipmaker Intel, Moore and his wife Betty have been major backers of conservation efforts from the Arctic to the Amazon.
  • In the Amazon, the Moore Foundation has committed more than $800 million since 2000 to a range of initiatives, making it the single largest private funder of conservation in Earth’s largest rainforest.

Technology entrepreneur and conservation philanthropist Gordon Moore has died, as reported by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation on Friday. He was 94.

While most widely known for his career in technology, including predicting the pace of semiconductor chip development — which became known as Moore’s Law — and co-founding Intel, Moore and his wife Betty have been major backers of conservation efforts from the Arctic to the tropics. For example, the Moore Foundation has been the largest private donor toward efforts to protect the Amazon, committing more than $800 million since 2000 to a range of initiatives across the Earth’s largest rainforest.

Dusk in the Amazon. Photo credit: Rhett A. Butler / Mongabay
Dusk in the Amazon. Photo credit: Rhett A. Butler / Mongabay

Beyond conservation, the Moores have supported many causes in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond, including advancing science, improving healthcare, and bolstering education programs. Gordon Moore has received numerous honors for both his business achievements and his philanthropy.

A memoriam for Gordon Moore is available on the Moore Foundation website.

Mongabay interviewed Aileen Lee, chief program officer at the Moore Foundation, in 2021.

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