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Filipino engineer Dado Banatao passes away

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dado banatao

ABS-CBN News

MANILA (UPDATED) — Diosdado “Dado” Banatao, a renowned Filipino engineer, passed away December 25 in Stanford, California, his family confirmed.He was 79 years old.According to his family, Banatao succumbed to “complications from a neurological disorder that hit him late in his life”.“We are mourning his loss, but take comfort from the time spent with him during this Christmas season, and that his fight with this disease is over. We thank everyone for all the messages of support and prayers during this time,” Rey Banatao wrote in a <a href="https://web.facebook.com/1075555749/posts/10236654861326202/?rdid=K3RfCx04bTX6rLgc#">social media post</a>.A native of Iguig, Cagayan, and the son of a rice farmer and a housekeeper, Banatao graduated with a degree in electric engineering from Mapua Institute of Technology, before taking his master’s degree in Stanford University.After college, he worked as a design engineer at Boeing in the US. It was then that he studied Master of Science in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Stanford University, graduation in 1972.After finishing his master’s degree, Banatao worked in different technology companies like National Semiconductor, Intersil and Commodore International. It was here that he designed the first single chip, 16-bit microprocessor-based calculator.Banatao is credited for his contributions to the technology industry, such as the development of the first 10-Mbit ethernet CMOS with silicon coupler data-link control and transceiver chip, which he developed in 1981 while working in Seeq technology. He is also credited for developing the first system logic chipset for IBM’s PC-XT and PC-AT, and one of the first graphical user interface (GUI) accelerators for personal computers.Banatao was also a start-up veteran, having co-founder Mostron, Chips and Technologies, and S3 Graphics.Along with his business partner, Banatao founded Monstron in 1984, a motherboard manufacturer. The following year, he co-founded Chips and Technologies after developing a five-ship set. It was here that he developed the chipset for IBM’s PC-XT and the PC-AT.In 1989, Banato launched S3 Graphics, which aimed to enhance the graphic capabilities of personal computers through the use of a graphic accelator chip.By 2000, he started his own venture capital firm, Tallwood Venture Capital. In 2010, Banatao became the chief executive officer of Ikanos Communications.Banatao was likewise involved with SiRF Technology Inc., which pioneered the commercial use of global positioning system (GPS) technology for consumer applications.Aside from his contributions to technology, Banatao, through his Dado Banatao Educational Foundation, provided scholarships to Filipino students who have bright futures in the field of engineering and technology. He also worked with the Philippine Development Foundation to send Filipino children to school. In the US, the Banatao Filipino American Fund helps Californian high school students of Filipino heritage to pursue a college education. He also built a computer center at his grade school in Iguig town in Cagayan.In 2021, he was one of the ten Living Legends featured by the Philippine Postal Corporation in its stamps for his contributions to science and technology.Banatao was also a recipient of several awards and recognitions, including the Pamana ng Filipino Award in 1997, Asian Leadership Award in 1993, and the Ramon V. Del Rosario Award in 2018, among others.

Banatao developed the first 10-Mbit ethernet CMOS with silicon coupler data-link control and transceiver chip, the first system logic chipset for IBM’s PC-XT and PC-AT, and one of the first graphical user interface (GUI) accelerators for personal computers.

Banatao developed the first 10-Mbit ethernet CMOS with silicon coupler data-link control and transceiver chip, the first system logic chipset for IBM’s PC-XT and PC-AT, and one of the first graphical user interface (GUI) accelerators for personal computers.