SiTime Corporation (NASDAQ: SITM), a provider of precision timing solutions for advanced electronic systems, has announced the appointment of Faraj Aalaei to its Board of Directors. Aalaei is the founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Cognichip, Inc., and brings decades of experience in semiconductor innovation, networking and communications to the company.
Announcing the appointment, Rajesh Vashist, Chairman and CEO of SiTime, underscored the strategic value of Aalaei’s leadership as the company accelerates growth in high-performance markets. “Faraj is a proven entrepreneur, having envisioned, built and successfully scaled several semiconductor businesses—Centillium and Aquantia stand out as prime examples of his leadership,” Vashist said. “His expertise in AI, networking and communications aligns strongly with SiTime’s ambitions.”
Vashist noted that SiTime’s communications, enterprise and data center (CED) business has recorded more than 100 percent year-over-year growth for six consecutive quarters through the third quarter, making it the company’s fastest-growing segment. “I am pleased to welcome him to our board and look forward to benefiting from his guidance as we accelerate our growth,” he added.
Commenting on his appointment, Aalaei highlighted the growing importance of precision timing as AI workloads scale across distributed computing environments. “As AI workloads scale, performance hinges on precision timing—low jitter, tight synchronization, and resilient clocks across distributed systems,” he said. “SiTime brings the precision and agility AI demands, enabling customers to move faster without compromising reliability.”
Aalaei’s career includes key contributions to the development of the world’s first optical ring communication system, as well as innovations in cable modems, broadband DSL and Ethernet communications for autonomous driving. He holds multiple patents and has led several successful semiconductor ventures.
He holds degrees from Wentworth Institute of Technology, the University of Massachusetts and the University of New Hampshire, and received the United States Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2024.
