Intel Strengthens Foundry Division: A Top Manager from Samsung Joins

Intel has further strengthened its Foundry division with a significant new hire, while competition with TSMC continues in the background. The company has announced the appointment of Shawn (Seung Hoon) Han as Senior Vice President and General Manager of Foundry Services starting in May.

The appointment was communicated by Naga Chandrasekaran, EVP of Technology Development & Manufacturing, who emphasized that the manager will bring key expertise to enhance customer-oriented execution. Han comes from Samsung Foundry, where he has over thirty years of experience in the semiconductor sector, having recently held positions related to sales oversight. His background also includes work on various logic processes since 1996, highlighting a solid technical foundation in addition to commercial skills.

Han's entry comes at a crucial time for Intel Foundry, which is committed to expanding its customer portfolio and enhancing technologies such as advanced packaging and new production processes. The strategy aims to make the offering more competitive in a market dominated by a few large players.

Meanwhile, TSMC CEO C.C. Wei reiterated that Intel represents a "formidable" competitor while simultaneously remaining an important customer. This is a typical dynamic in the industry, where cooperation and competition coexist.

Wei pointed out that the foundry business requires significant time and investments: building a factory typically takes an average of 2-3 years, followed by an additional 1-2 years to reach full production capacity. This lengthy path highlights the absence of shortcuts in the sector.

These considerations also apply to new projects like Tesla's Terafab, initially aimed at producing around 3,000 wafers per month in a pilot phase, with gradual growth over time. On the packaging front, TSMC has acknowledged the appeal of Intel's EMIB technology while highlighting its own leadership in substrate edge solutions. EMIB and its evolutions aim to produce larger chips, reducing costs and increasing design flexibility.

The picture that emerges is one of an industry where global tensions open opportunities for TSMC competitors, but at the same time, technological expertise, production capacity, and customer confidence are indispensable elements. The entry of experienced figures like Shawn Han at Intel highlights the company's willingness to accelerate in the Foundry area, but catching up to TSMC will take time and is by no means guaranteed.