Developing the erasable programmable read-only memory, or EPROM, in 1970 provided the semiconductor industry with a non-volatile, reprogrammable storage solution. This invention resolved long-standing inefficiencies in chip manufacturing, where data previously required factory-level permanent masking. The resulting technology served as a vital catalyst for flash memory development and the broader growth of the microcomputer sector.
Early Life and Education
Born in Amsterdam in 1939 to Polish Jewish parents, he spent the war years in hiding with a Christian family in Sprang-Capelle. Following the war, he relocated to Israel in 1949. He attended the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology in 1959, earning an electrical engineering degree in 1963. He subsequently moved to the United States to complete his master's degree and Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley.
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After a brief tenure at Fairchild Semiconductor, he joined Intel Corporation in 1969, working alongside Gordon Moore, Robert Noyce, and Andrew Grove. While analyzing a fault in early products, he conceived the EPROM. Before this development, semiconductor memory was limited to volatile RAM, which lost data without power, or fixed ROM, which was prohibitively difficult to alter. His solution remains a milestone in engineering.
Establishing Intel Israel
He departed Intel briefly to teach in Ghana before returning in 1973 with the intent to foster research in Israel. He established a chip design center in Haifa in 1974, the first Intel facility outside the United States. He later became the general manager of Intel Israel in 1985 and oversaw the construction of significant manufacturing infrastructure in Kiryat Gat.
Operational Continuity and Leadership
During the 1991 First Gulf War, he maintained manufacturing operations at Intel Israel despite recommendations from civil authorities to close. This decision ensured continuity during the missile attacks. He later documented his management strategies in the 2008 book Leadership the Hard Way, co-authored with Robert Howard. He retired from the company in 2001.
Fast facts
- Born: 1939, Amsterdam
- Field: Electrical Engineering
- Education: Technion, University of California, Berkeley
- Key Invention: EPROM
- Employer: Intel
- Israel Prize: 1991
- National Inventors Hall of Fame: 2009
- Edison Medal: 2008
Questions readers ask
What is the primary significance of the EPROM?
It provided the first non-volatile memory chip that could be easily erased and reprogrammed, which later enabled flash memory technology.
Did he hold roles outside of engineering?
Yes, he served as a business executive, general manager of Intel Israel, and as an author.
Achievements
- National Inventors Hall of Fame — 2009
- Affiliated with Intel
- Educated at University of California, Berkeley and Technion – Israel Institute of Technology
- Worked as engineer, computer scientist and businessperson
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