9-11 December 2025
Muscat, Oman
Chief Operating Officer for Semiconductor Research
Jason Conrad is the Chief Operating Officer for Semiconductor Research at ASU. He leads SWAP Hub, SHIELD USA, and MacroTechnology Works, ASU’s premier facility for semiconductor research and development. Jason brings with him more than 23 years of experience in the semiconductor industry. With previous roles at industry-leading companies such as NXP, Global Wafers, and Lam Research, Jason is a proven leader focused on performance and quality.
Jason’s mission is to foster relationships with academic, industry and government partners to not only develop leap ahead technologies but also the workforce of the future.
Jason holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Notre Dame.
With 110,000+ undergraduate students, 30,000+ graduate and professional students, and 5,000+ faculty, Arizona State University (ASU) exemplifies a new prototype for the American public research university. At ASU, our culture of innovation and inclusion draws pioneering researchers to our faculty and attracts highly qualified students from all 50 states and more than 130 nations. ASU is expanding academic and entrepreneurial opportunities for every type of learner at all stages of life. Creating a resilient microelectronics innovation ecosystem is critical to America’s security and economic competitiveness. Arizona State University is responding to this need by working with industry and government partners to reestablish America’s capacity for domestic microelectronics and semiconductor manufacturing and innovation. ASU offers traditional degree programs and rapid, low-cost options for upskilling and re-skilling of the existing semiconductor workforce, as well as workers from outside the industry.
ASU is building the semiconductor talent pipeline and mobilizing the expertise and capabilities of the Fulton Schools of Engineering to drive research, development and innovation. The Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University is the largest and most comprehensive engineering school in the nation, offering 25 undergraduate degree programs, and 48 graduate degree programs. With over 30,000 students within the Fulton Schools of Engineering, 7000+ students studying microelectronics-related fields, and 150+ faculty engaged in microelectronics research and teaching. We offer extensive research facilities including our research in semiconductor manufacturing and advanced semiconductor packaging which is supported by our extensive lads which includes MacroTechnology Works with 250,000 total sq ft capacity, 43,000 sq ft clean rooms, and 23,00 sq ft wet/dry labs. We also offer graduate programs in semiconductor manufacturing, packaging, and assembly as well as certificate programs to support workforce development.
VP of Technology Custom Cloud Solutions
Mark Kuemerle is Vice President, Technology, Custom Cloud Solutions at Marvell. In this role, Mark is responsible for defining leading-edge ASIC offerings, drives product competitiveness, and architects system-level solutions. Before joining Marvell, Mark was a Fellow in Integrated Systems Architecture at GLOBALFOUNDRIES and has held multiple engineering positions at IBM.
He has authored numerous articles on die-to-die connectivity and multichip systems and holds multiple patents related to low-power technologies and package integration. Mark earned a Bachelors and Master of Science in Computer Engineering from Case Western Reserve University.
We believe that infrastructure powers progress. That execution is as essential as innovation. That better collaboration builds better technology. At Marvell, We go all in with you.
Focused and determined, we unite behind your goals as our own. We leverage our unrivaled portfolio of infrastructure technology to identify the best solution for your unique needs. And we sit shoulder-to-shoulder with your teams to build it. Agile in our thinking, and our partnerships, we look for unexpected connections that deliver a competitive edge and reveal new opportunities. At Marvell, we’re driven by the belief that how we do things matters just as much as what we do. Because, with a foundation built on partnership, anything is possible.
EVP Chief Operations and Technology Officer
Skyworks Solutions, Inc. is empowering the wireless networking revolution. Our highly innovative analog semiconductors are connecting people, places and things spanning a number of new and previously unimagined applications within the automotive, broadband, cellular infrastructure, connected home, industrial, medical, military, smartphone, tablet and wearable markets.
Skyworks is a global company with engineering, marketing, operations, sales and support facilities located throughout Asia, Europe and North America.
Skyworks products are used in aerospace, automotive, broadband, cellular infrastructure, connected home, defense, entertainment and gaming, industrial, medical, military, smartphone, tablet, and wearable markets.
VP & Director Sort/Test Technology Development
Phil Martin is Vice President and Director of Sort/Test Technology Development for Intel Foundry. His responsibilities encompass test technology development across wafer, die, and package test, including the Intel High Density Modular Tester platform (HDMT). With over 30 years of experience at Intel, Phil has held multiple positions, all within test technology development. He holds a Masters of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Idaho.
Intel’s systems foundry approach offers full-stack optimization from the factory network to software. Intel and its ecosystem empower customers to innovate across the entire system through continuous technology improvements, reference designs and new standards. Intel Foundry is an independent foundry business that meets our customers’ unique product needs, including our industry-leading sort and test capabilities. Whether front-end or back-end design is needed, when integrated with our foundry co-optimized development kits based on industry-standard tools and flows and powerful silicon IPs, the result is true innovation.
SVP/GM Silicon Photonics
Kevin Soukup is Senior Vice President of Silicon Photonics Product Line at GF, a position he was appointed to in 2024. In this role, Mr. Soukup leads the company’s Silicon Photonics business that enables customers to transport enormous volumes of data through high-speed, power efficient electro-optical systems.
Prior to his current role, he served as Chief Strategy Officer developing the company’s integrated strategy and ensuring that GF has the management systems in place to deliver. Mr. Soukup joined GF in 2011 and held positions of increasing responsibility in technology development and manufacturing operations for the next seven years. In 2018, Kevin transitioned to VP of Business Transformation and helped prepare GF for IPO in 2021.
Before his career with GF, Mr. Soukup spent eleven years with Samsung Electronics’ semiconductor unit in engineering and operations management positions.
Mr. Soukup holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Florida. He currently serves as a member of the board of directors of VueReal.
GF is one of the world’s leading semiconductor manufacturers and the only one with a truly global footprint. We are redefining innovation and semiconductor manufacturing by developing feature-rich process technology solutions that provide leadership performance in pervasive high growth markets. As a steadfast partner, with a unique mix of design, development and fabrication services, GF works collaboratively alongside our customers to bring a broad range of innovative products to market. With a global customer base, a talented and diverse workforce and an at-scale manufacturing footprint spanning three continents, GF is delivering a new era of more.
VP & GM
Dr. Near Margalit has held several executive positions in the optical connectivety industry. He founded Zaffire Inc., a metro DWDM Optical Networking company before moving on to lead Source Photonics as CEO from 2002-2013, growing the company to one of the premier optical transceiver vendors. He was the CTO and Head of Product Development for Intel’s Silicon Photonics for the commercial introduction of Silicon Photonics in 2015-2016. From 2018 to present he has been with the Optical Systems Division of Broadcom where he is currently the VP and General Manager of the division. He holds a Ph.D in Optoelectronics from UC Santa Barbara and a B.S. in Applied Physics from CalTech.
Broadcom Inc. designs, develops, and markets digital and analog semiconductors. The Company offers wireless RF components, storage adapters, controllers, networking processors, switches, fiber optic modules, motion control encoders, and optical sensors. Broadcom markets its products worldwide.
Senior Vice President, Advanced Packaging and Foundry
Formerly CVP of Intel
Dr. Hamid R. Azimi is Senior Vice President of Advanced Packaging and Foundry at Marvell. In this role, he leads the development and deployment of next-generation packaging technologies and foundry strategies to support Marvell’s data infrastructure products.
Prior to joining Marvell, Hamid spent nearly 30 years at Intel, where he most recently served as Corporate Vice President and Director of Substrate Packaging Technology Development. He led global R&D and manufacturing teams and delivered industry-leading innovations including die-embedded panel level fanout, EMIB and glass packaging for AI and high-performance computing.
A recognized pioneer in semiconductor packaging, Hamid holds over 40 U.S. patents, including the patent on first-generation organic flip-chip ABF-based substrate. He has received multiple Intel Achievement Awards and is widely known for building high-performing, inclusive teams and mentoring future industry leaders.
Hamid earned a Ph.D. and M.S. in Materials Science from Lehigh University and a B.S. in Materials Engineering from Sharif University of Technology.
We believe that infrastructure powers progress. That execution is as essential as innovation. That better collaboration builds better technology. At Marvell, We go all in with you.
Focused and determined, we unite behind your goals as our own. We leverage our unrivaled portfolio of infrastructure technology to identify the best solution for your unique needs. And we sit shoulder-to-shoulder with your teams to build it. Agile in our thinking, and our partnerships, we look for unexpected connections that deliver a competitive edge and reveal new opportunities. At Marvell, we’re driven by the belief that how we do things matters just as much as what we do. Because, with a foundation built on partnership, anything is possible.
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