The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) announced on September 22, 2026 that Apple Executive Chair Tim Cook has been chosen as the 2026 recipient of the Robert N. Noyce Award, the chip industry's highest honor. The award is presented each year to a leader who has made outstanding contributions to the semiconductor industry, and Cook will accept it at the SIA Awards Dinner on November 19, 2026, in San Jose, California.
Dr. Lisa Su, AMD chair and CEO and 2026 SIA board chair, described Cook as a powerful advocate for U.S. semiconductor leadership and advanced manufacturing, saying he has driven extraordinary growth and strengthened the foundation for the industry's future. She added that SIA is proud to recognize his lasting contributions to technology and the semiconductor industry.
During Cook's time as CEO, Apple reshaped the global technology landscape with a range of powerful semiconductor-enabled devices that people around the world rely on daily. He became Apple's executive chair in September 2026. Before being named CEO in 2011, he served as chief operating officer, overseeing worldwide sales and operations, including end-to-end management of the supply chain. Earlier in his career, he held leadership roles at Compaq and IBM. He holds an M.B.A. from Duke University, where he was a Fuqua Scholar, and a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Auburn University.
Cook said the award reflects the extraordinary work of Apple's engineering teams, who have expanded what users can achieve through the power and scalability of Apple silicon across products from the Mac to the iPhone. He emphasized Apple's commitment to advancing semiconductor innovation in the U.S. and said he looks forward to joining partners and industry leaders to celebrate breakthroughs shaping the future of technology. The award is named after semiconductor pioneer Robert N. Noyce, co-founder of Fairchild Semiconductor and Intel Corporation.
