The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) announced Apple Executive Chair Tim Cook has been selected as the 2026 recipient of the chip industry’s highest honor, the Robert N. Noyce Award.
SIA presents the Noyce Award annually in recognition of a leader who has made outstanding contributions to the semiconductor industry. Cook will accept the award at the SIA Awards Dinner on Nov. 19, 2026, in San Jose, Calif.
“Tim Cook has been a powerful advocate for U.S. semiconductor leadership and advanced manufacturing, driving extraordinary growth and strengthening the foundation for our industry’s future,” said Dr. Lisa Su, AMD chair and CEO and 2026 SIA board chair. “We are proud to recognize Tim with the Robert N. Noyce Award for his lasting contributions to technology and the semiconductor industry.”
Under Tim’s leadership as CEO, Apple transformed the global technology landscape, launching a range of powerful semiconductor-enabled devices that consumers across the globe depend on every day. Tim became Apple’s executive chair in September 2026. Prior to being named CEO at Apple in 2011, Tim was Apple’s chief operating officer, overseeing the company’s worldwide sales and operations, including end-to-end management of Apple’s supply chain. Prior to joining Apple, Tim held leadership positions at Compaq and IBM. Tim earned an M.B.A. from Duke University, where he was a Fuqua Scholar, and a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Auburn University.
“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—from Mac to iPhone and across our product lineup,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s executive chair. “We’re deeply committed to advancing semiconductor innovation right here in the U.S., and I look forward to joining our valued partners and industry leaders to celebrate breakthroughs that are shaping the future of technology.”
The Noyce Award is named in honor of semiconductor industry pioneer Robert N. Noyce, co-founder of Fairchild Semiconductor and Intel Corporation.