Intel has announced the appointment of Lee Seok-hee, former CEO of SK hynix and SK On, as a Senior Vice President within its Intel Foundry business. This strategic move underscores the US chipmaker’s accelerated push into advanced semiconductor packaging solutions.
On Thursday, Intel confirmed that Mr. Lee will be responsible for overseeing advanced packaging, system integration, back-end technology development, and back-end manufacturing operations at Intel Foundry. He will report directly to Intel Foundry CEO Lip-Bu Tan.
Intel Foundry is strategically positioning advanced packaging as a core business area, dedicating specialized leadership to this segment. Lee’s appointment specifically aims to bolster and strengthen this crucial division, as explained by the company.
“Seok-Hee brings profound expertise in leading complex, high-scale technology and manufacturing organizations, coupled with an impressive track record of operational execution,” stated Lip-Bu Tan.
“Seok-Hee’s insights will be instrumental in helping Intel further enhance our system integration capabilities. This will enable us to seamlessly connect leading-edge logic, memory, networking, and other essential components to develop high-performance computing systems for our Intel Foundry customers.”
Tan further added, “He is precisely the right leader to build and scale this vital component of the Intel Foundry business as we prepare to ramp advanced packaging technologies, including EMIB-T and HBI, to high-volume production for our valued customers and partners.”
Lee himself emphasized his view of advanced packaging as a pivotal growth driver for the global semiconductor industry.
“Intel possesses a unique advantage to lead in advanced packaging, especially as the demand for sophisticated system-level integration intensifies across artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing sectors,” Lee commented. “I am delighted to return and join the Intel team as we collectively advance the company’s technology leadership, manufacturing prowess, and commitment to customers in this critical domain.”
Lee concluded his tenure as chief executive of SK On at the end of May, following a 2 1/2-year period in that role. Before his leadership at the battery manufacturer, he served as chief executive of SK hynix, one of the world’s foremost memory chip producers. During his time there, he played a crucial role in the development and advancement of high-bandwidth memory (HBM), a key technology essential for powering cutting-edge artificial intelligence applications.
Academically, Lee holds a bachelor’s degree in materials science and engineering from Seoul National University and a doctorate in engineering from Stanford University. Notably, he also began his career at Intel as an engineer from 2000 to 2010 before transitioning to prominent leadership positions in South Korea.
These significant management changes align with Intel’s overarching strategy to revitalize its foundry business and intensify competition with leading contract chip manufacturers. By strengthening its manufacturing and advanced packaging capabilities, Intel aims to establish key differentiators for the next generation of AI systems.
Under the updated organizational structure, Naga Chandrasekaran, Executive Vice President of Intel Foundry, will continue reporting to CEO Tan. His focus will remain on front-end technology development and accelerating the ramp-up of the crucial 18A and 14A nodes, alongside future technology innovations.
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