SkyWater appoints new president and COO
US-based pure-play semiconductor foundry, SkyWater Technology, has appointed John Sakamoto as president and chief operating officer, effective September 25, 2023.
In his new role, Sakamoto will be responsible for all day-to-day business and manufacturing operations, driving profitability, implementing growth strategies, and ensuring smooth and efficient operations across the enterprise.
During the business transformation initiative currently underway, which SkyWater launched together with third-party consultants earlier this year, the company determined that an operational leader with Sakamoto’s skills and experience would help accelerate the transformation process aimed at achieving greater levels of scale, revenue, and profitability.
Reporting to CEO Thomas Sonderman, Sakamoto joins SkyWater with 25 years of experience in various executive leadership positions with Altera, Intel, and Marvell. His expertise includes market strategy, organisational growth, general management, business unit leadership, sales, operations, engineering, and acquisition integration.
“The semiconductor industry has an unprecedented opportunity before it, driven by the ever-increasing demand for new technologies manufactured in the U.S., including emerging growth applications such as AI, and further bolstered by the potential of significant CHIPS funding over the next several years,” says Sonderman in a press release. “This is exactly the right time to bring strong operational leadership to our organization. As a long-time consumer of foundry services, John will bring a strong customer-centric focus to SkyWater as we grow and scale our business model. I look forward to collaborating with him to propel the company to new heights.”
“With the growing demand for a U.S.-based semiconductor supply chain, SkyWater’s onshore silicon manufacturing solutions and diverse technology capabilities position the company well for tremendous growth as this decade unfolds,” adds Sakamoto.
