Andrew Grove, the former CEO and chairman of Intel, has died at the age of 79.
Grove had successfully fought a battle against prostate cancer and had been suffering from Parkinson’s disease in recent years, but no cause of death has yet been made public.
Born in Hungary, Grove moved to the US in the mid-1950s after surviving both Nazi occupation and Soviet control.
Grove became Intel’s first hire after working with the company’s founder, Gordon Moore, at Fairchild Semiconductor. He joined the company at its creation in 1968, becoming the president of the firm in 1979 and then CEO in 1987.
Grove is praised with having played a critical role in Intel’s decision to move from memory chips to microprocessors and led the firm’s transformation into one of the most widely recognised brand names in the world.
During his leadership the company introduced chips that would help to usher in the PC era, including the 386 and Pentium. The successful transition to microprocessors saw the company increase its annual revenues from $1.9bn to more than $26bn.
Andy Bryant, Intel chairman, said: "Andy approached corporate strategy and leadership in ways that continue to influence prominent thinkers and companies around the world."
"He combined the analytic approach of a scientist with an ability to engage others in honest and deep conversation, which sustained Intel’s success over a period that saw the rise of the personal computer, the Internet and Silicon Valley."
Away from Intel, Grove wrote a number of books on management books including "High Output Management," and "Only the Paranoid Survive."
Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft and Former CEO, said: "Andy Grove’s death is a huge loss for the computing industry and everyone who had the honor to know him. I feel lucky to have been one of those people. He was at the forefront of creating the personal computer industry and whenever we spent time together, I always came away impressed by his brilliance and vision."
