Moore's law is my favorite law

My son was recently asked by his high school physics teacher: “What’s your favorite law?” He replied with a grin, “Murphy’s Law.” 😄 Needless to say, he didn't do well in the Physics test.

When my son asked the same question to me, I didn’t hesitate. Moore’s Law, I said. And interestingly, it’s not even a real “law” in the scientific sense. Newton’s Law of Inertia is a law. Moore’s Law? It was more of a bold prediction.

There was nothing guaranteed about the idea that the number of transistors in an integrated circuit (IC) would double roughly every two years. But somehow, that prediction became a self-fulfilling prophecy, and one of the most remarkable achievements of human coordination, innovation, and ambition.

Moore’s Law is a triumph of capitalism, competition, and global collaboration.

Companies pushed themselves to the edge of physics and materials science just to keep pace. No one—not even Gordon Moore—could have predicted that this doubling would continue for decades. Every two years, chipmakers had to figure out how to make transistors smaller, faster, and cheaper, or risk falling behind. The result? Unimaginable progress.

And while Moore’s Law is often seen as a private sector miracle, it’s also a case study in the critical role of government. As detailed in the books "Boom" and "Chip War", the early days the integrated circuits were heavily consumed by the U.S. government, particularly for the Apollo program and defense initiatives. The government was the biggest buyer when the market was uncertain and unproven.

Eventually, the private sector began to realize the utility of ICs in commercial products. Over time, the semiconductor industry, once heavily reliant on government contracts, became self-sustaining and explosively innovative.

And that’s perhaps the perfect role for government: to light many sparks, knowing that not all will catch, but trusting that some will grow into roaring engines of progress.

When doubling of the transitors became even quite difficult, the industry responded again—with focus and specialization. The complexity of fabrication gave birth to TSMC (Taiwan), a company dedicated entirely to chip manufacturing. Similarly, ASML (Netherlands) took on the challenge of building the ultra-precise lithography machines that make modern chips possible.

The latest iPhone has 19 billion transistors packed into a single chip. That kind of scale wasn’t inevitable. It wasn’t destiny. It was the result of human ingenuity, bold bets, relentless engineering, functional copyright laws, reliable logistics, smart government incentives, and cooperation between companies and countries across the globe.

Moore’s Law may not be a scientific law. But it’s certainly a testament to what humans can do when we’re motivated by vision, competition, and curiosity.