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Kevin O’Buckley left Intel on February 26, 2026, to become Qualcomm’s executive vice president of global operations and supply chain. His departure initially put Naga Chandrasekaran in charge of Intel Foundry, but that was not the lasting structure: on June 18, Intel appointed Seok-Hee Lee to lead advanced packaging and other back-end functions, while Chandrasekaran retained front-end manufacturing and customer-facing responsibilities.
What happened to Kevin O’Buckley?
O’Buckley was Intel Foundry Services’ senior vice president and general manager. He joined Intel in May 2024 and became the third executive to run the foundry business since 2021. His work covered advanced packaging, process technology and foundry partnerships. Intel’s succession announcement was reported on February 26, 2026.
Before Intel, O’Buckley held roles at IBM, GlobalFoundries and Marvell. Qualcomm’s executive biography describes his experience across semiconductor manufacturing and operations.
What will he do at Qualcomm?
Qualcomm appointed O’Buckley executive vice president of global operations and supply chain. His remit includes manufacturing engineering, foundry and supplier partnerships, procurement, and global semiconductor operations. This is a broad operations role at a chip designer and platform company—not a job running a Qualcomm-owned merchant foundry. Electronics Weekly also reported that he reports to Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon.
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His background could help Qualcomm coordinate manufacturing partners and supply as it serves markets beyond mobile, including automotive, PCs, data centers and edge AI. That is a reasonable strategic possibility, not a stated explanation from Qualcomm for the hire.
Why did Chandrasekaran take over Intel Foundry?
The transition built on an existing reporting structure rather than handing the business to a new outsider. Chandrasekaran had already led front-end process technology development and manufacturing. Intel expanded his remit in September 2025 to include Foundry Services, and O’Buckley reported to him by the time he left, according to CRN.
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Chandrasekaran joined Intel in August 2024 after about 23 years at Micron, where his most recent position was senior vice president of technology development. Intel’s 2025 Form 10-K identifies him as executive vice president, chief technology and operations officer, and general manager of Intel Foundry. Intel’s leadership announcement and filing document the expansion of his responsibilities.
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In February, consolidating the work under a leader already overseeing technology and manufacturing offered continuity. But O’Buckley’s exit still removed a senior executive responsible for foundry services and customer-facing execution; continuity in the reporting line does not, by itself, establish organizational stability or execution results.
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How Intel Foundry’s leadership changed
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| August 2024 | Chandrasekaran joined Intel from Micron, according to Intel’s 2025 Form 10-K. |
| September 2025 | Intel expanded Chandrasekaran’s responsibilities to include Foundry Services, as described in the Intel announcement and filing. |
| February 26, 2026 | O’Buckley left Intel for Qualcomm; Chandrasekaran initially assumed leadership of Intel Foundry, as reported by Tom’s Hardware and CRN. |
| June 18, 2026 | Intel appointed Seok-Hee Lee to lead back-end foundry functions, changing the structure again. See Intel’s announcement. |
What changed in June—and who runs which part now?
Intel’s June 18 appointment divided major responsibilities between front-end and back-end operations. Lee, an executive vice president of Intel Foundry, took responsibility for advanced packaging, system integration, back-end technology development and back-end manufacturing. Chandrasekaran retained front-end technology development and manufacturing, along with design enablement and customer-facing and business-enablement functions. Both report directly to CEO Lip-Bu Tan, according to Intel.
- Front end: wafer fabrication and process technology, led by Chandrasekaran.
- Back end: assembly, testing, advanced packaging and system integration, led by Lee.
Intel described the reorganization as a way to accelerate execution and strengthen customer confidence. The practical distinction is that Chandrasekaran’s broad February leadership did not remain undivided: Intel later assigned a specialist leader to the back end.
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What the change means for Intel and its foundry ambitions
Intel is trying to serve external chip designers as a contract manufacturer while continuing to make its own processors. For outside customers, the relevant test is not the title on an organization chart but whether Intel can deliver predictable process development, capacity, yields, packaging capability and customer support.
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The February handoff may have reduced disruption because Chandrasekaran already had authority over manufacturing and technology development. At the same time, another change in senior foundry leadership puts a premium on clear accountability and customer confidence. O’Buckley’s departure is not evidence that Intel’s foundry effort is failing, nor does the June split prove that it is succeeding.
Nothing in the leadership announcements establishes a change to Intel 18A or 14A schedules, customer commitments, fab construction plans or government funding. Those outcomes need to be assessed from separate operational disclosures, not inferred from executive moves.
Why Qualcomm may value a former foundry executive
Qualcomm depends on manufacturing partners rather than operating as a conventional fabrication foundry. An executive with experience in foundry relationships, packaging and supplier coordination can bring expertise in managing that network. The hire could support a more complex supply chain as Qualcomm expands its products and markets, but there is no stated evidence here that it signals a plan to build Qualcomm-owned fabs or a particular shift in its manufacturing strategy.
Quick Recap
What to watch next
- Whether Intel meets disclosed process-development and manufacturing milestones, including those associated with Intel 18A and 14A.
- Whether Intel wins and retains external foundry customers, and what the company reports about foundry revenue and losses.
- Whether advanced-packaging capacity and system integration translate into customer programs and reported business results.
- Whether Intel makes further leadership changes that alter accountability across front-end, back-end and customer-facing functions.
- What Qualcomm says about its foundry partners, manufacturing capacity and supply-chain priorities.
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