Moore's law

Moore's law is the observation that the number of <a href="/facts/Transistor/Bmr8zwL0">transistors</a> in an <a href="/facts/Integrated_circuit/fjn6vg7C">integrated circuit</a> (IC) doubles about every two years. Moore's law is an <a href="/facts/Observation/NTodmzCo">observation</a> and <a href="/facts/Forecasting/pwFtGyzM">projection</a> of a historical trend. Rather than a <a href="/facts/Law_of_physics/aVtc4wpk">law of physics</a>, it is an <a href="/facts/Empirical_relationship/WSxeL4St">empirical relationship</a>. It is an <a href="/facts/Experience-curve_law/eXBVy0Fm">experience-curve law</a>, a type of law quantifying efficiency gains from experience in production.
The observation is named after <a href="/facts/Gordon_Moore/AMW52edX">Gordon Moore</a>, the co-founder of <a href="/facts/Fairchild_Semiconductor/TUD8v4P0">Fairchild Semiconductor</a> and <a href="/facts/Intel/SMF0gJJX">Intel</a> and former CEO of the latter, who in 1965 noted that the number of components per integrated circuit had been <a href="/facts/Exponential_growth/m4yEqKJ7">doubling every year</a>, and projected this rate of growth would continue for at least another decade. In 1975, looking forward to the next decade, he revised the forecast to doubling every two years, a <a href="/facts/Compound_annual_growth_rate/wqWNy1fd">compound annual growth rate</a> (CAGR) of 41%. Moore's empirical evidence did not directly imply that the historical trend would continue, nevertheless, his prediction has held since 1975 and has since become known as a law.
Moore's prediction has been used in the <a href="/facts/Semiconductor_industry/v2LNPolL">semiconductor industry</a> to guide long-term planning and to set targets for <a href="/facts/Research_and_development/2h5UddUu">research and development</a> (R&D). Advancements in <a href="/facts/Digital_electronics/3kJcKbkw">digital electronics</a>, such as the reduction in <a href="/facts/Price_index/0okIszGK">quality-adjusted prices</a> of <a href="/facts/Microprocessor/Fx9CaQht">microprocessors</a>, the increase in <a href="/facts/Computer_memory/hQKVQ51J">memory capacity</a> (<a href="/facts/RAM/DuD4bxh6">RAM</a> and <a href="/facts/Flash_memory/Cn8JsStx">flash</a>), the improvement of <a href="/facts/Digital_sensor/Godqpvdd">sensors</a>, and even the number and size of <a href="/facts/Pixel/UzwBvXBV">pixels</a> in <a href="/facts/Digital_camera/LSGTserm">digital cameras</a>, are strongly linked to Moore's law. These ongoing changes in digital electronics have been a driving force of technological and social change, <a href="/facts/Productivity/yXlzAjC2">productivity</a>, and economic growth.
Industry experts have not reached a consensus on exactly when Moore's law will cease to apply. Microprocessor architects report that semiconductor advancement has slowed industry-wide since around 2010, slightly below the pace predicted by Moore's law. In September 2022, <a href="/facts/Nvidia/8QfCgqbu">Nvidia</a> CEO <a href="/facts/Jensen_Huang/GoWBz4LH">Jensen Huang</a> considered Moore's law dead, while Intel CEO <a href="/facts/Pat_Gelsinger/4VVjofsN">Pat Gelsinger</a> was of the opposite view.

Moore's law open-in-new

Moore's law