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Mark Dean
Born 1957
Fact
Holds three of IBM nine original PC patents
Fact
Led team that broke the gigahertz processor barrier
Fact
Built a tractor from scratch as a child
Mark Dean is one of the most important engineers in personal computing history. As lead engineer at IBM, he co-invented the ISA bus that allowed peripherals to connect to PCs. He holds three of IBM original nine patents for the personal computer.
Dean led the team that created the first gigahertz processor chip in 1999, breaking a speed barrier many thought was years away.
Raised in Tennessee, he built a tractor from scratch as a boy. He earned his PhD from Stanford and was named IBM Fellow — the company highest technical honor.
I am going where the next invention takes me.— Mark Dean
Key Milestones
A Life in Firsts
1957
Born in Jefferson City, Tennessee
1979
Joins IBM as engineer
1981
Co-invents ISA bus for original IBM PC
1995
Earns PhD from Stanford University
1997
Named IBM Fellow
1999
Leads team creating first 1-gigahertz processor
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