

Linus Torvalds

Technology Academy Finland has declared two laureates for its 2012 Millennium Technology Prize. Linus Torvalds has won the prize in recognition of his widely used Linux kernel and the creation of a new open source operating system for computers. He was joined by Dr. Shinya Yamanaka of Japan, who was recognised for his work on pluripotent stem cells. The Grand Prize will be selected from the eligible laureates and will be awarded on 13 June 2012.

The overall winner will also be awarded the majority of a prize pool worth more than one million euros, which will be divided between the other laureates. Previously known as the Millennium Prize Foundation and the Finnish Technology Award Foundation, the Technology Academy Finland is an independent fund for promoting Finland as a high-tech country and was established by a partnership between Finnish industry and the Finnish state. Previous grand prize winners have included Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web; Shuji Nakamura, inventor of blue and white LEDs, Professor Robert Langer, for his work on controlled drug release, and Michael Grätzel, for his creation of dye-sensitised solar cells.

(djwm)