Moore's law

American

[moorz law] / ˈmʊərz ˈlɔ /

noun

Computers.

the principle of exponential growth, both observed and projected, in the density of semiconductors and digital processors: describes the doubling of the number of components in an integrated circuit approximately every two years.

Moore's law Scientific

/ môrz /

The observation that steady technological improvements in miniaturization leads to a doubling of the density of transistors on new integrated circuits every 18 months. In the mid-1960s, Gordon Moore (born 1929), one of the founders of Intel Corporation, observed that the density of transistors had been doubling every year, although the pace slowed slightly in the following years. The 18-month pattern held true into the 21st century, though as technology approaches the point where circuits are only a few atoms wide, new technologies, possibly not involving transistors at all, may be required for further miniaturization.

Etymology

Origin of Moore's law

First recorded in 1965–70; named after U.S. businessman, engineer, and microchip manufacturer Gordon E. Moore (1929–2023)

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It will be a triumph of engineering—and the final step in the march of chip-industry progress known as Moore’s Law.

From The Wall Street Journal

Moore’s Law says that every two years, the number of transistors packed into a microchip doubles.

From The Wall Street Journal

So Moore’s Law has fueled both the mobile-computing revolution and the artificial-intelligence datacenter boom.

From The Wall Street Journal

Novel materials and designs are needed to keep Moore’s Law progressing.

From The Wall Street Journal

This could help the semiconductor industry continue down the trajectory described by Moore’s Law, which dictates that the number of transistors per chip—and therefore the computing power of a chip—should double every two years.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023