Intel Pioneer Craig R. Barrett, Driver of Global Technology, to Receive 2009 IEEE Founders Medal

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (16 June 2009) – Craig R. Barrett, a visionary corporate leader who developed Intel Corporation into a leading innovator of microprocessor technology, is being honored by IEEE with the 2009 IEEE Founders Medal. IEEE is the world’s largest technical professional association.

The medal, sponsored by the IEEE Foundation, recognizes Barrett for bold, creative and effective leadership in the electronics industry and promotion of education, research, competitiveness and corporate responsibility. The medal will be presented on 25 June 2009 at the IEEE Honors Ceremony in Los Angeles, Calif. For the first time, the IEEE Honors Ceremony will be broadcast live on the Web through IEEE.tv (www.ieee.tv).

With a career that has spanned from academician to technical contributor to corporate leader, Barrett rose from technology development manager to chairman of the board at Intel, with a focus on quality and manufacturing ability that made Intel a world leader in developing and deploying new technologies. Today, Intel provides microprocessors for over 80 percent of the world's computers. He also is a vocal spokesman for the value technology can provide in raising social and economic standards globally.

When U.S. leadership in integrated circuit technologies was threatened during the late 1980s, it was Barrett’s vision that restored Intel as a leading innovator of microelectronics, raising industry standards with processes that served as models for other companies to emulate. He has driven significant improvements to the company's process control, statistical analysis and problem-solving methods. And he has fine-tuned Intel's manufacturing process, thereby improving yields and developing a higher quality materials supply base, fueling enhancements in quality consciousness and introducing a standardization methodology that allowed processes to be transferred from site to site, resulting in improved factory performance.

It was under Barrett’s leadership that the first Intel® Pentium® microprocessor was developed, which became the most successful general-purpose microprocessor in history. He also formulated a brilliant strategy of diversification by developing a family of processors based on a core technology, supporting high-end workstations, mainstream PCs, low-end PCs and laptop computers. It was under his direction that Intel made wireless technology a reality and a standard feature in most of today’s laptop computers.

As an industry and education spokesman, Barrett uses his status as chairman of both Intel and the United Nations Global Alliance for Information and Communication Technologies and Development as a platform to champion issues such as education, competitiveness, international development and corporate responsibility. He has led the development of the “Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors,” which identifies technical challenges facing the industry, and the University Focus Research Program which funds and coordinates semiconductor research efforts for universities. He has worked with numerous national organizations to emphasize the importance of investing in basic research and strong science, technology and math education for maintaining U.S. competitiveness.

An IEEE Life Member, Barrett’s other honors include a Lifetime Achievement Award from the China Committee of Corporate Citizenship (2007), a Fulbright Lifetime Achievement Medal (2007), a National Science Foundation Public Service Award (2006) and being named one of the “Best Managers in the Nation” according to “BusinessWeek” magazine (2004). He received his bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees, all in materials science, from Stanford University, Palo Alto, Calif. He spent ten years on the faculty of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Stanford prior to joining Intel in 1974. He served as chairman of the board at Intel Corporation until his retirement in May 2009.

About IEEE

IEEE, the world’s largest technical professional association, is commemorating its 125th anniversary in 2009 by Celebrating 125 Years of Engineering the Future around the globe. Through its more than 375,000 members in 160 countries, IEEE is a leading authority on a wide variety of areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power and consumer electronics. Dedicated to the advancement of technology, IEEE publishes 30 percent of the world’s literature in the electrical and electronics engineering and computer science fields, and has developed nearly 900 active industry standards. The organization annually sponsors more than 900 conferences worldwide. Additional information about IEEE can be found at www.ieee.org.