Intel has tapped a senior Samsung Electronics executive to bolster its effort to attract outside clients to its foundry operations.
Shawn Han, who holds the title of executive vice president at Samsung, will join Intel next month as general manager of foundry services, the company said in a statement on Thursday. In his new role Han will report to Naga Chandrasekaran, head of Intel’s foundry division.
The appointment is presented by Intel as part of a broader turnaround strategy under Chief Executive Officer Lip-Bu Tan aimed at enlarging the chipmaker’s business that builds semiconductors for outside customers. The foundry segment produces chips for other companies rather than chips designed for the company’s own products.
Intel is attempting to persuade other chip designers, including firms that compete with Intel in some areas, to contract their manufacturing to Intel’s foundries. The foundry market is currently dominated by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., with Samsung positioned as a distant second, according to the statement.
Commenting on the hire, Chandrasekaran said the move underlines Intel Foundry’s focus on close engagement with clients and executing according to customer needs. He added: "Shawn brings more than 10 years of commercial foundry leadership experience from his time at Samsung Foundry."
The company framed the recruitment as a commercial play to strengthen relationships with potential customers and to reinforce execution driven by client requirements. Han’s experience at Samsung Foundry was cited as relevant commercial foundry leadership that Intel expects to leverage as it seeks to win business from external chip designers.
Details provided in the statement include the timing of Han’s start next month and his reporting line to Chandrasekaran. Beyond those points, the announcement did not include further operational specifics about Intel’s customer engagement plans or potential client commitments.