On the Passing of Gordon E. Moore, A Pioneer for our HPC Community and Beyond
Gordon Moore, co-founder of Intel and pioneer of the computing chip industry, passed away on March 24, 2023, at the age of 94. Moore's contributions to the computer technology industry have been immeasurable, and his passing is a significant loss for our high-performance computing (HPC) community.
Moore's breakthrough in the development of the microprocessor paved the way for the supercomputing industry as we know it today. Moore's Law, his observation that the number of transistors on a microchip would double every two years, was a driving force behind the rapid pace of innovation witnessed in the HPC hardware landscape.
The 2021 recipient of the Turing award, Jack Dongarra, Professor at the University of Tennessee Knoxville in the USA said, "Moore's legacy is one of innovation, progress, and philanthropy, and his contributions have had a significant impact on the technology industry and society as a whole.”
“Gordon Moore, the visionary who propelled the microchip revolution, set the pace for performance growth in supercomputing, as measured by the Top500, forever transforming high performance computing.” explained Horst Simon, Director of ADIA Lab in Abu Dhabi, UAE and one of the co-authors of the Top500 list.
“Most people did know him for what became famous as Moore’s law, but he was much more than that — the real mastermind behind the success of HPC.” said Professor Michael Resch, Director of the High-Performance Computing Center in Stuttgart, Germany.
“Six decades ago, Gordon Moore, peace be upon him, hung in the firmament of computing a beautiful, brilliant lodestar of ambition that has since more than illumined us: It has planted at the core of our beings – for those of us fortunate enough to be in HPC – a world view, a confidence, that things get better with time, at variance with much else in our world!” explained Professor David Keyes, Director of the Extreme Computing Research Center at KAUST, Saudi Arabia. “Moore’s Law has inspired us to take full advantage of its miraculous implications for science and society, so much so that as we say goodbye to Gordon, himself, and watch his Law wobble and gradually diminish, we still believe in the bright future of HPC, with undiminished expectations. We may now refer to “Moore’s Mettle.”
The SIAM Activity Group on Supercomputing are deeply saddened by the passing of Gordon Moore. His legacy will continue to shape and inspire our community for years to come, and we are grateful for his contributions to the advancement of science and technology.
