Qualcomm has appointed Kevin O'Buckley as Senior Vice President of Global Operations and Supply Chain, effective March 2. The move brings a 30-year semiconductor veteran with deep foundry expertise to lead Qualcomm's manufacturing and supplier partnerships.

O'Buckley joins from Intel, where he served as Vice President and General Manager of Foundry Services, overseeing global operations, advanced packaging, and process technology. His extensive background includes leadership roles at IBM, GlobalFoundries, and Marvell, with specialization in scaling complex semiconductor operations and custom chip delivery.

In his new role, O'Buckley will oversee manufacturing engineering, foundry partnerships, supply chain, and procurement—critical areas as Qualcomm navigates advanced node transitions, including its recently resumed Samsung 2nm collaboration.

Akash Palkhiwala, Qualcomm's CFO and COO, praised the appointment: "Kevin's operational expertise and experience scaling semiconductor businesses will strengthen our global operations as we continue delivering industry-leading products."

ICgoodFind : This strategic hire underscores Qualcomm's commitment to supply chain mastery. By bringing in Intel's former foundry architect, Qualcomm gains insider expertise precisely when navigating complex multi-foundry strategies across 2nm nodes and advanced packaging.