Intel veteran Sanjay Natarajan on Moore's Law and the limits of digital scaling

Sanjay Natarajan, a veteran semiconductor engineer and former Senior Vice President at Intel, challenges the notion that Moore’s Law has reached an absolute end. With a career spanning over three decades, including leading Intel’s critical 32-nanometer and 14-nanometer process technology developments, Natarajan witnessed and contributed to overcoming the escalating challenges of chip scaling such as rising costs, physical limitations, and manufacturing complexities. His work consistently focused on extending performance and yield by adopting fundamentally new approaches for each successive technology node, demonstrating that the evolution of semiconductor technology is an ongoing process rather than a halted one. Natarajan’s passion for electrical engineering began early, inspired by the emergence of personal computing and hands-on experience with an Apple II Plus. His long tenure at Intel was driven not only by the intellectual challenges and innovation opportunities but also by the impact of seeing his work widely adopted globally. He credits Intel’s leadership in CMOS technology and its collaborative environment as key factors in his sustained motivation.