What is Moore’s Law?

Definition

Moore’s Law is an observation made by Gordon Moore in 1965. He predicted that the number of transistors that could fit on a semiconductor chip would roughly double every two years while the cost per transistor would decrease.

This trend enabled computers, smartphones, and other electronic devices to become faster, smaller, and more affordable over time.

Where Does Moore’s Law Fit in the Semiconductor Value Chain?

Moore’s Law primarily influences the chip design and wafer fabrication stages of the semiconductor value chain.

Chip Design
Wafer Fabrication
Assembly & Packaging
Testing
Electronic Products

To keep up with Moore’s Law, chip designers create more complex circuits, while manufacturers develop advanced fabrication technologies capable of fitting more transistors onto a single chip.

Why is Moore’s Law Important?

For decades, Moore’s Law served as the roadmap for the semiconductor industry. It drove continuous improvements in computing power, energy efficiency, and cost reduction.

Many of today’s innovations—including artificial intelligence, cloud computing, 5G, and advanced consumer electronics—have benefited from the increasing performance made possible by transistor scaling.

What is “More than Moore”?

As transistors approach physical and economic limits, simply shrinking them further has become increasingly difficult and expensive.

“More than Moore” refers to improving chip performance through methods beyond transistor scaling. These include advanced packaging, chiplets, specialised processors, sensors, power electronics, and integration of multiple functions into a single package.

Instead of making transistors smaller, the focus shifts to making systems smarter and more efficient.

Conclusion

Moore’s Law helped shape the modern semiconductor industry. Today, as scaling becomes more challenging, the industry is embracing “More than Moore” approaches to continue delivering innovation and performance improvements.

References for Further Reading

• Intel – Moore’s Law Overview
• Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA)
• imec – More than Moore Research
• IEEE Spectrum – Semiconductor Technology Articles