Intel chip architect Su Fei returns to China after 20 years in the US

After nearly two decades shaping Intel’s chip designs, one of its leading semiconductor architects has left the United States to join Tsinghua University as a full-time professor.

Su Fei, a veteran engineer in chip testing and semiconductor reliability, is now the Xing-Hua endowed chair professor at his alma mater’s school of integrated circuits, according to the faculty webpage.

At Intel, Su’s work spanned the entire chip life cycle – from early concept to mass production – with a focus on improving reliability, security and long-term performance of the advanced microprocessors used in everything from smartphones to data centres.

A scroll through Su’s social media profile reveals that he also helped to shape global standards in chip design, guided research at US universities to address practical engineering challenges and received multiple industry honours for his work.

Su, a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), said he was “profoundly motivated” by opportunities to bridge the gap between academia and industry – a theme that has run through much of his career.

“I find immense fulfilment in mentoring and guiding young students and professionals as they navigate the ever-evolving computing and semiconductor industry,” he wrote in a 2023 statement as a candidate for the IEEE Computer Society board of governors.