June 18 - Intel named Seok-Hee Lee as executive vice president of its contract chip-manufacturing arm, tasking him with leadership of the company’s advanced packaging business and related back-end operations. The appointment is part of a broader push by the chipmaker to strengthen its manufacturing capabilities under CEO Lip-Bu Tan after falling short of capturing the surge in artificial intelligence-driven demand.
According to the company statement, Lee will report directly to CEO Lip-Bu Tan and will assume responsibility for advanced packaging, system integration, back-end technology development and back-end manufacturing. The role consolidates those functions under an executive with deep experience in the semiconductor sector.
The announcement came the same day as a separate presidential statement that Apple had agreed to work with Intel to design and manufacture its chips in the United States - a development the company said would bolster its contract manufacturing business. The management change at Intel aligns with that emphasis on scaling in-house packaging and manufacturing capabilities.
Intel said Naga Chandrasekaran, who serves as executive vice president of Intel Foundry, will concentrate on front-end technology development and front-end manufacturing. Management identified the accelerated ramp of upcoming process nodes - including 18A, Intel 14A and subsequent technologies - as priorities for Chandrasekaran's front-end remit.
Lee brings executive leadership experience from across the semiconductor industry, having served as chief executive at both SK On and SK Hynix. Intel characterized his experience as relevant to the company's aim to expand advanced packaging and back-end production capacity.
The company has recently taken additional steps to reinforce its contract manufacturing effort. In April, Intel hired Shawn Han, a veteran of Samsung Foundry, to support that initiative. In the same month, Intel secured Tesla as the first major customer for its next-generation 14A manufacturing process; the company expects that process to enter mass production in 2029.
Context and implications
Intel's reorganization places a senior external hire at the helm of packaging and back-end operations while front-end node development remains under existing foundry leadership. The moves underline the company's dual focus on integrating more complex multi-chip packages and advancing its process roadmap.