[News] Samsung Reportedly Seizes on Intel Talent Exodus, Hiring Glass Substrate and Packaging Experts

According to Chosun Biz, Intel’s financial strain, sweeping restructuring under CEO Lip-Bu Tan, and the cancellation of multiple projects have triggered an exodus of key talent — prompting Samsung Electronics and its affiliate Samsung Electro-Mechanics to reportedly recruit these departing Intel employees.

As the report highlights, veteran engineers with long careers at Intel in areas such as advanced packaging, glass substrates, and backside power delivery networks (BSPDN) are now prime recruitment targets.

Citing sources, the report says Samsung is actively hiring packaging engineers with over a decade of experience, particularly those able to provide expertise in fields where Samsung’s track record remains relatively limited.

Samsung Electronics, which is expanding its U.S. foundry operations and strengthening R&D staffing, is reportedly moving quickly to secure top talent in these areas, the report notes. The report adds that in the first half of this year, a senior engineer specializing in Intel’s proprietary 2.5D chip packaging technology — Embedded Multi-Die Interconnect Bridge (EMIB) — moved to Samsung’s foundry division.

Notably, Gang Duan, a veteran packaging engineer from Intel, has recently joined Samsung Electro-Mechanics, where he will lead technology marketing and application engineering at the company’s U.S. subsidiary. According to The Wall Street Journal, Duan made key contributions to advancing packaging technologies, particularly through his innovative use of glass materials. Chosun Biz notes that it is rare for such a high-ranking Intel engineer to join Samsung, underscoring the seriousness of Intel’s ongoing talent exodus.

Samsung Electro-Mechanics aims to begin mass production of glass substrates by 2027, as Wall Street Journal notes. According to The Korea Herald, the company, which entered the market last year, has reportedly launched a pilot production line at its Sejong facility.

Meanwhile, sources cited by Chosun Biz note that as Intel continues to cancel or scale back previously announced foundry investments and new fab projects, more engineers are being left without positions and are likely to exit the company.

Intel has been carrying out restructuring measures alongside job cuts. According to Fortune, CEO Lip-Bu Tan informed employees in a memo last month that the company plans to reduce its workforce by about 15%—more than 25,000 positions—through layoffs and attrition. The memo also outlined operational streamlining efforts aimed at driving greater efficiency, as the report notes.

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(Photo credit: Samsung)