Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC) has appointed Seok-Hee Lee as executive vice president of Intel Foundry, a move aimed at strengthening the company’s advanced packaging and manufacturing capabilities as demand for AI and high-performance computing infrastructure continues to grow.
Lee will report directly to Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan and will oversee advanced packaging, system integration, back-end technology development, and back-end manufacturing operations. The appointment comes as Intel expands its focus on advanced packaging, which is increasingly viewed as a critical technology for improving performance, power efficiency, and integration in next-generation computing systems.
The company said it is establishing advanced packaging as a dedicated business within Intel Foundry, reflecting its growing strategic importance in semiconductor manufacturing. Advanced packaging technologies allow multiple chip components, including logic, memory, and networking elements, to be integrated into a single system, enabling higher performance and greater efficiency for AI and data-intensive applications.
“Advanced packaging and system integration are becoming defining capabilities for next-generation computing systems,” said Lip-Bu Tan, CEO of Intel. He added that Lee’s experience in managing large-scale technology and manufacturing organizations would help strengthen Intel’s system integration capabilities and support the ramp-up of advanced packaging technologies such as EMIB-T and HBI for customers and partners.
Lee joins Intel from South Korean battery manufacturer SK On, where he served as President and Chief Executive Officer. Prior to that, he was President and CEO of South Korea-based memory chip maker SK hynix. He also previously held engineering leadership roles at Intel and has experience in academia, giving him a broad background across semiconductor technology and manufacturing.
“Intel is uniquely positioned to lead in advanced packaging as demand for system-level integration accelerates across AI and high-performance computing,” Lee said. He described his return to Intel as an opportunity to contribute to the company’s technology leadership, manufacturing capabilities, and customer commitments.
The leadership change is part of Intel’s broader effort to strengthen its foundry business and accelerate technology development. Naga Chandrasekaran, executive vice president of Intel Foundry, will continue to report directly to Tan and remain responsible for front-end technology development and manufacturing. His responsibilities will also include advancing Intel’s process roadmap, including Intel 18A, Intel 14A, and future process technologies.
Chandrasekaran will continue overseeing design enablement and customer-facing business functions that support Intel Foundry’s growth strategy. Intel said the updated organizational structure is intended to create a more focused and scalable operating model while improving execution and customer confidence.
Alongside the leadership announcement, Intel disclosed that executive vice president Navid Shahriari will retire after a 37-year career with the company.
