Intel Boosts Foundry Push with Samsung Executive Hire

According to Bloomberg, Intel is strengthening its foundry strategy by hiring senior executive Shawn Han from Samsung Electronics, in a move aimed at expanding its external semiconductor manufacturing customer base.

Intel confirmed in a statement that Shawn Han, currently a vice president at Samsung Electronics, will join the company next month and report to Naga Chandrasekaran, who leads Intel’s foundry division. Han will take on the role of General Manager of Foundry Services. According to Intel, he brings more than a decade of experience in commercial foundry operations and previously held senior responsibilities within Samsung’s foundry business.

The appointment comes as Intel continues to accelerate its transformation strategy under CEO Lip-Bu Tan, with a strong focus on building a competitive contract chip manufacturing business. Unlike its traditional model—where Intel primarily manufactured chips designed in-house—the company is now working to attract external customers in a market currently dominated by TSMC, with Samsung serving as the second-largest player.

However, Intel faces structural challenges in expanding its foundry footprint. Many potential customers are also competitors in chip design, making partnership decisions more complex. In addition, customer adoption depends heavily on Intel’s process technology competitiveness, an area where the company has recently lagged behind leading-edge peers.

Rising semiconductor manufacturing costs have further intensified the urgency of Intel’s shift, as internal demand alone is no longer sufficient to support its large-scale capital expenditure requirements. As a result, the company is increasingly focused on securing third-party wafer orders to strengthen utilization and long-term profitability.

Naga Chandrasekaran stated that the hiring reflects Intel Foundry’s continued emphasis on customer-centric execution and relationship building. He added that Han’s extensive experience in commercial foundry operations will play a key role in expanding Intel’s global customer engagement and supporting its broader foundry growth strategy.