The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) has announced that Apple Executive Chair Tim Cook has been selected as the 2026 recipient of the Robert N. Noyce Award, the highest honor presented by the global chip industry. Cook will formally accept the award at the annual SIA Awards Dinner on November 19, 2026, in San Jose, California.
The Robert N. Noyce Award is presented each year to recognize an industry leader who has made outstanding, long-term contributions to the semiconductor sector. It commemorates the legacy of Robert N. Noyce, a seminal pioneer in microelectronics and co-founder of both Fairchild Semiconductor and Intel Corporation.
Dr. Lisa Su, AMD Chair and CEO and the 2026 SIA Board Chair, commended Cook’s impact on global technology. She noted that Cook has served as a powerful advocate for semiconductor leadership and advanced manufacturing, helping drive market growth and laying a durable foundation for the industry’s future.
Under Cook’s leadership, Apple transformed consumer electronics by pioneering custom silicon architectures. By vertically integrating chip design across iPhones, iPads, and Macs, Apple silicon established industry benchmarks for performance and energy efficiency.
“This award is a testament to Apple’s extraordinary engineering teams, who have transformed what our users can achieve through the power and scalability of Apple silicon,” Cook stated. He reaffirmed Apple’s ongoing commitment to advancing semiconductor innovation within the United States while collaborating closely with manufacturing and design partners worldwide.
Cook transitioned to the role of Apple’s Executive Chair in September 2026 after serving as CEO since 2011. Before succeeding Steve Jobs as chief executive, Cook was Apple’s Chief Operating Officer, where he engineered one of the most efficient global supply chains in tech history. Prior to joining Apple in 1998, he held key operational and management roles at Compaq and IBM. Cook earned a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Auburn University and an MBA as a Fuqua Scholar from Duke University.
