Who is Randhir Thakur? TATA’s new Semiconductor Leader

N Chandrasekaran, the chairman of Tata Son, is intent on entering the semiconductor market. Chandrasekaran has hired one of the greatest talents in semiconductor manufacturing, also known as foundry, internationally as the business expects to invest $90 billion in setting up semiconductor fab and ATMP in the near future.

Dr. Randhir Thakur, formerly the President of Intel Foundry Services, now holds the roles of CEO and MD at Tata Electronics Pvt Ltd. TEPL, founded in 2020, is a newly established company focused on manufacturing precise electronic components.

All About Randhir Thakur!

Indian-born Thakur has had a remarkable career that has lasted for more than 40 years. His educational background includes a master’s in electrical engineering from the University of Saskatchewan in Canada and a degree in electronics and telecommunications from the National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra, India. In 2013, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers awarded him the IEEE Fellow designation. He also holds a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from OU.

Thakur has spent the last 40 years working with some of the top tech firms, including Applied Materials, SanDisk, and Intel. Thakur joined Applied Materials in 2000 as Chief Technical Officer, Transistor and Capacitor Product Business Group, while details about his early professional years are unavailable. In 2001, he was appointed Corporate Vice President and General Manager of the Substrate Contact and Gapfill Division.

Thakur worked at Applied Materials for five years and one month before being offered the position of Executive Vice President, Technology and Worldwide Operations at SanDisk for a period of three years beginning in 2005.

For Thakur, returning to Applied Materials in 2008 as Senior Vice President and General Manager, Display and Sun Fab Solar Group, was like coming home. In less than a year, he rose through the ranks to become Executive Vice President and General Manager, Silicon Systems Group, where he oversaw a global team of over 6,000 employees, was responsible for the P&L of $6Billion+, and maintained close relationships with the Board of Directors. Meanwhile, from 2012 to 2016, he served on the Board of Directors at Marvell Semiconductors.

Thakur’s subsequent employment began in 2017 when he accepted a position as Chief Supply Chain Officer at Intel Corporation. He was appointed President of Intel Foundry Services in March 2021, three years and five months later. When the company’s senior leadership visited India in April 2022, Thakur had the opportunity to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi while working closely with Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger.

Thakur has more than 300 patents in the semiconductor business, and given his depth of knowledge in the field, experts in the field think he is the ideal candidate to head Tata’s semiconductor ambition.

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