Robert Dennard, IBM inventor whose chip changed computing, dies at 91

He invented DRAM, the technology that enabled faster, higher-capacity memory storage that forms the basis of modern computing. /p>
Robert H. Dennard, an engineer who invented the silicon memory technology that plays an indispensable role in every smartphone, laptop and tablet, died April 23 in Sleepy Hollow, New York. He was 91.
The cause of death, at a hospital, was a bacterial infection, said his daughter, Holly Dennard.
Mr. . Dennard's pioneering work began at IBM in the 1960s, when equipment for maintaining and storing computer data was expensive, bulky (often room-sized machines), and slow. He was studying the emerging field of microelectronics, which used silicon-based transistors to store bits of digital information.
In 1966, Mr. Dennard invented a means of storing digital bits of information. bit on a transistor — a technology called dynamic random access memory, or DRAM, that holds information as an electrical charge that slowly fades over time and must be refreshed periodically.
His discovery opened the door to a previously unimaginable improvement in data capacity, with lower costs and higher speeds, all using tiny silicon chips.
DRAM has been the basis of steady progress in the decades since. High-speed, high-capacity memory chips store and quickly transfer data to a computer's microprocessor, which converts it into text, sound, and images. Stream videos on YouTube, listen to music on Spotify or Apple Music and use AI. chatbots like ChatGPT depend on it.
"DRAM has made much of modern computing possible," said John Hennessy, president of Alphabet, the company mother of Google.
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Technology May 17, 2024 0 16 Add to Reading List

Robert Dennard, IBM inventor whose chip changed computing, dies at 91

He invented DRAM, the technology that enabled faster, higher-capacity memory storage that forms the basis of modern computing. /p>

Robert H. Dennard, an engineer who invented the silicon memory technology that plays an indispensable role in every smartphone, laptop and tablet, died April 23 in Sleepy Hollow, New York. He was 91.

The cause of death, at a hospital, was a bacterial infection, said his daughter, Holly Dennard.

Mr. . Dennard's pioneering work began at IBM in the 1960s, when equipment for maintaining and storing computer data was expensive, bulky (often room-sized machines), and slow. He was studying the emerging field of microelectronics, which used silicon-based transistors to store bits of digital information.

In 1966, Mr. Dennard invented a means of storing digital bits of information. bit on a transistor — a technology called dynamic random access memory, or DRAM, that holds information as an electrical charge that slowly fades over time and must be refreshed periodically.

His discovery opened the door to a previously unimaginable improvement in data capacity, with lower costs and higher speeds, all using tiny silicon chips.

DRAM has been the basis of steady progress in the decades since. High-speed, high-capacity memory chips store and quickly transfer data to a computer's microprocessor, which converts it into text, sound, and images. Stream videos on YouTube, listen to music on Spotify or Apple Music and use AI. chatbots like ChatGPT depend on it.

"DRAM has made much of modern computing possible," said John Hennessy, president of Alphabet, the company mother of Google.

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