Federico Faggin is an Italian-born naturalized American physicist. After earning his degree in Padua in 1965, he moved to the United States in 1968. He worked in the field of semiconductors, designing the first MOS (Metal Oxide Semiconductor) integrated circuits and later the MOS Silicon Gate technology, which became the foundation for modern integrated circuit production. In 1970, at Intel, he led the project that realized the structure of the first microprocessor. In 1982, he founded Cygnet Technology, focusing on neural networks and human-machine interface. At Synaptics, where he is a co-founder, and as the CEO of Foveon, he is involved in touchpad technology and image sensors.
In 2011, the Federico and Elvia Faggin Foundation was established to promote the scientific study of consciousness. In addition to numerous participations in international conferences and symposia, Federico Faggin is the author of works such as Silicon: From the Invention of the Microprocessor to the New Science of Consciousness and Irreducible: Consciousness, Life, Computers, and Our Nature among others.
