Milpitas, CA—President Obama distinguished Dr. Eli Harari, founder and retired chairman and CEO of SanDisk Corporation, with the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. This award is the country’s highest honor recognizing achievement and leadership in advancing the fields of science and technology.
“These scholars and innovators have expanded our understanding of the world, made invaluable contributions to their fields, and helped improve countless lives,” President Obama said in Washington when announcing the recipients. “Our nation has been enriched by their achievements and by all the scientists and technologists across America dedicated to discovery, inquiry and invention.”
Dr. Harari’s vision for SanDisk and flash memory began more than 26 years ago. Throughout the years, flash memory innovations have enabled new markets and devices from digital photography and USB drives to smartphones, tablets and thin-and-light notebooks. Today, SanDisk is bringing flash memory to enterprise storage to transform the data center by helping enterprises achieve high performance, low-latency data access and scalability. Flash memory is on track to become the most widely used memory technology in the world over the next decade.
“We’re now connected in ways that would not be possible without the technologies that Eli helped pioneer and we’re well positioned to take on new market segments such as enterprise data centers,” said Sanjay Mehrotra, cofounder, president and chief executive officer of SanDisk. “Eli has had a profound impact on the entire technology landscape, and in doing so, has truly changed the world as we experience it today. His lifelong intellectual and technical achievements are well-deserving of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation.”
The National Medal of Technology and Innovation was created by statute in 1980 and is administered for the White House by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Patent and Trademark Office. The award recognizes pioneers who have made lasting contributions to America’s competitiveness, quality of life, and have helped strengthen the nation’s technological workforce. sandisk.com
