Dado Banatao

Banatao was born in Iguig, Cagayan, Philippines on May 23, 1946. His father, Salvador Banatao, was a rice farmer. His mother, Rosita Banatao, was a housekeeper. ==Career==

After college, he turned down several job offers, including one from Meralco. He joined Philippine Airlines as a trainee pilot, and later joined Boeing. At Boeing, he worked as a design engineer for the company's new commercial airliner and cargo transport aircraft, Boeing 747, in the United States. With the opportunity to stay in the United States, he then took his Master of Science in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Stanford University and finished in 1972. Banatao also joined the Homebrew Computer Club, where he met Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. After finishing his master's degree, Banatao worked with different technology companies such as the National Semiconductor, Intersil, and Commodore International. He designed the first single chip, 16-bit microprocessor-based calculator. In 1981, he developed the first 10-Mbit Ethernet CMOS with silicon coupler data-link control and transceiver chip while working in Seeq Technology. He was also credited with the first system logic chipset for IBM's PC/XT and PC/AT; the local bus concept; and one of the first GUI accelerator chips for personal computers. In 1984, Banatao and his business partner Francis Siu founded the motherboard manufacturing company, Mostron, with US$500,000 in start-up capital; they also hired Ron Yara of Intel as a company executive. After Banatao developed a five-chip chipset compatible with IBM's PC/AT, he co-founded Chips and Technologies (C&T) in 1985. The company developed chipsets compatible with IBM's Personal Computer family, including the PC/AT and the PC/XT. C&T generated $12 million in revenue in its first four months. After 22 months, the company went public. In 1989, Banatao launched his third start-up company, S3 Graphics, with Yara in Santa Clara, California.S3 developed GUI accelerators that enhanced the capabilities of personal computers in rendering graphical user interfaces (GUIs). Dado was also part of SiRF, one of the first companies to commercialize the GPS after it had been declassified by the United States government. ==Philanthropy==

In the Philippines, Banatao through his Dado Banatao Educational Foundation, annually awards five educational scholarships to intelligent Filipino students who have bright futures in the field of engineering and technology. He also chaired the Philippine Development Foundation, which helps send brilliant young Filipinos to school to help them reach their full potential. PhilDev was spun off from Ayala Foundation's program. Through his Banatao Filipino American Fund, he assisted Californian high school students of Filipino heritage in their pursuit of college education in engineering. He also built a computer center at his grade school in his hometown of Iguig, making it the only public school with the most modern computer network in the Philippines. ==Death==

On December 25, 2025, Banatao died in Stanford, California due to complications stemming from an undisclosed neurological disorder. He was 79. == Accolades ==