Samsung brings in ex-TSMC executive to head its US foundry business

TSMC is the world's largest contract chipmaker and Samsung is in a distant second place. The Korean giant is still trying to close the gap to its Taiwanese rival, let alone overtake it for a dominant position in the market, but it's finding that to be very difficult.

Samsung has been investing heavily in both facilities and human resources to sharpen its edge in this segment. The latest investment has been in a former TSMC executive who worked at the Taiwanese company for 21 years, and will now head Samsung's US foundry business.

Margaret Han has been appointed as an executive vice president at Samsung, and will now head its foundry business in the United States, Korean media is reporting based on industry sources. Han had been at TSMC for more than two decades in diverse roles across sales, marketing, and business development verticals.

She had then moved to Intel as the head of Global External Foundry Sourcing and Supplier Management. Han is now leaving Intel to join Samsung as the company aims to establish itself as a leading foundry player in the United States.

Samsung has committed to investing $37 billion in new chipmaking facilities in Taylor, Texas, including on advanced 4nm and 2nm nodes. The plant is expected to start producing chips by the end of next year.

It's believed that Han's experience will prove to be instrumental in helping Samsung expand its foundry business with new clients, particularly the major chip designers that are based in the US.