Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra was honored for outstanding contributions to the semiconductor industry in technology or public policy by the Semiconductor Industry Association.
He will receive the SIA’s highest honor, the Robert Noyce Award, Nov.16, the SIA said Thursday. The award was named after the co-founder of Fairchild Semiconductor and Intel.
SIA CEO John Neuffer said in a statement that Mehrotra is an industry leader and “tireless advocate for STEM education initiatives and a diverse and inclusive semiconductor workforce.”
Mehrotra joined Micron in 2017 and was CEO of SanDisk, which he co-founded, from 2011 to 2016. He holds more than 70 patents related to high-capacity flash memory.
Memory has grown more important to electronics in recent years with its ability to support AI processing, which is essential to generative AI and other tech advances essential to self-driving cars and robotics as well as billions of IoT devices.
Following passage of the CHIPS Act a year ago, Micron said it would invest $40 billion through 2029 to boost memory manufacturing in the US, including fabs in Idaho and New York. The company has also announced investments for its fab in Hiroshima, Japan, and an assembly and test facility in Xi’an, China and another assembly plant in India.
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Micron more recently has been victim to electronics trade turmoil between the US and China. China’s Cyberspace Administration in May told its tech manufacturers to stop using Micron chips, a step seen by analysts as the result of an ongoing feud with the US, which has joined Europe and Japan to reduce Chinese access to advanced chipmaking gear that the US worries will be used in weapons.
In a June earnings call, Mehrotra warned the China action on Micron will present a “significant headwind,” slowing the company’s recovery from memory chip declines. The CAC’s decision means Micron’s business remains “uncertain and fluid,” he added. Roughly half of its China-based customer revenue is at risk of being impacted, representing a low double-digit percentage of Micron’s global revenues, he said.
Company shares were up about 38% as of Thursday for all of 2023, but revenues were $3.7 billion for the latest quarter, less than half of revenues a year earlier. There was also a net loss of $1.9 billion for the quarter, although Mehrotra said at the time the memory industry has passed its bottom point.
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Company financials aside, SIA said the Noyce award recognizes Mehrotra’s commitment an inclusive and equitable culture at Micron and across engineering. He has led company efforts to achieve comprehensive global pay equity for underrepresented groups and 50% female representation on Micron’s board.
Mehrotra holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in EE and computer science from UC Berkeley and is a grad of the Stanford Grad School Business Executive Program.
“It is a great honor to receive the Noyce Award and join the ranks of previous recipients, individuals who have helped build the semiconductor industry into one of the most innovative, influential, and important sectors in the world,” Mehrotra said in a statement. “I look forward to continuing to collaborate across our industry to push the boundaries of semiconductor technology and manufacturing to meet the future demand and the tremendous opportunity facing our industry in the years ahead.”