12/27/2025
He graduated from Ateneo de Tuguegarao High School and received an honorary doctorate from Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan. He provided scholarships to Filipino students who have bright futures in the field of engineering and technology May he rest in peace. May eternal light shine upon him.
Today, December 26, 2025, we say goodbye to Diosdado “Dado” Banatao, a Filipino engineer and tech pioneer who passed away at 79. From walking barefoot to school in Cagayan Valley to breaking barriers in , Dado’s story is one of vision, grit, and global impact.
He was behind groundbreaking semiconductor innovations—the first 10-Mbit Ethernet CMOS chip, system logic chipsets for the IBM PC-XT and PC-AT, the first graphics accelerator chip, and the local bus architecture—technologies that became the backbone of modern computing.
Beyond engineering, he co-founded companies such as Mostron, Chips & Technologies, and S3 Graphics, and later Tallwood Venture Capital, supporting new generations of innovators. Dado’s legacy proves that Filipino talent can leave a lasting mark on the world.
