Intel Appoints Former SK hynix CEO to Lead Foundry Packaging

Intel Corp. appointed Lee Seok-hee, the former CEO of SK hynix and SK On, as executive vice president of its contract chip-manufacturing division on June 18. Reporting directly to CEO Lip-Bu Tan, Lee will oversee advanced packaging, system integration, back-end technology development, and back-end manufacturing. This leadership change is intended to scale technologies such as EMIB-T and HBI to meet the demands of AI and high-performance computing.

The appointment is part of a restructuring effort by Lip-Bu Tan to reinvigorate Intel's manufacturing business. Under this new structure, Naga Chandrasekaran remains executive vice president of Intel Foundry but will now focus exclusively on front-end technology and the production ramp of 18A, 14A, and future process nodes. The company also recently hired former Samsung executive Shawn Han.

These moves coincide with several strategic milestones for the company. Intel secured Tesla as the first major customer for its 14A manufacturing process, scheduled for mass production in 2029. Additionally, President Donald Trump announced a deal between Apple and Intel to design and manufacture chips within the United States. These initiatives are supported by an $8.9 billion investment from the U.S. government provided under the CHIPS Act and Secure Enclave initiatives.