Intel Hires Lee Seok-hee as VP of Foundry to Enhance AI Semiconductor Packaging

Lee Seok-hee, Vice President of Intel Foundry [Photo: Lee Seok-hee's SNS]

Intel has appointed Lee Seok-hee, the former president of SK On and SK Hynix, as Vice President of its Foundry division. This move aims to strengthen the company's advanced packaging capabilities, which have become increasingly important in the competitive landscape of artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductors.

According to Intel and Reuters on June 18, Lee will report directly to CEO Pat Gelsinger and will oversee advanced packaging, system integration, post-process technology development, and post-process manufacturing.

The company plans to establish a dedicated advanced packaging system within its foundry organization as part of this appointment. Advanced packaging technology combines multiple semiconductors into a single unit, enhancing performance and power efficiency. As the demand for AI and high-performance computing (HPC) semiconductors grows, the role of related technologies is becoming increasingly critical.

Intel, which has fallen behind competitors like Nvidia in the AI semiconductor market, is working under CEO Pat Gelsinger to regain manufacturing competitiveness and secure new clients.

Lee is a semiconductor industry expert who previously served as the CEO of SK Hynix and SK On. Early in his career, he held engineering positions at Intel, making this appointment a sort of homecoming.

Intel has also delineated roles within its foundry organization. Lee will focus on advanced packaging and post-process, while Nagaswamy Chandrasekaran, Senior Vice President, will continue to lead front-end technology development and manufacturing. The front-end process refers to the stage where circuits are created on wafers, while the post-process involves connecting completed chips and packaging them into final products.

* This article has been translated by AI.

AJP