Torvalds receives 2012 Millennium Technology Prize

Linux creator recognized for his creation and ongoing work on the open-source operating system.

April 22, 2012 3:40 PM PDT Follow @stevenmusil

Linus Torvalds

(Credit: Image by James Martin/CNET; image credits: Wikimedia Commons, Intel)

Linux Creator Linus Torvalds has been chosen as one of two recipients of the Millennium Technology Prize.

Torvalds was named a 2012 laureate by the Technology Academy of Finland for his creation and ongoing contributions to the open-source operating system. Created in 2004, the awards recognize "technological innovation that significantly improves the quality of human life, today and in the future" every two years.

"[Linux] has become the basis of Android smartphones, tablets, digital television recorders and supercomputers the world over," the academy said in announcing Torvalds' selection. "Today millions of people are using devices with Linux at their core that make their work and social lives so much easier and more pleasurable."

Along with Dr. Shinya Yamanaka of Japan, who is being recognized for his work in stem cell research, Torvalds will receive the award at a June 13 ceremony in Helsinki, Finland.

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