The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) board of directors today elected Cristiano Amon, president and CEO of Qualcomm Incorporated, as its 2022 chair. Matt Johnson, president of Silicon Labs (NASDAQ: SLAB), was elected SIA vice chair. SIA represents 98 percent of the U.S. semiconductor industry by revenue and nearly two-thirds of non-U.S. chip firms.
“We’re very excited to welcome Cristiano Amon as SIA chair as we strive to advance important new government policies that promote growth and innovation throughout our industry, which is foundational to economic growth and national security,” said John Neuffer, SIA president and CEO. “Cristiano’s strong background in engineering and deep knowledge of the industry make him an ideal champion for our priorities, both in Washington and in capitals around the world.”
Amon began his Qualcomm career in 1995 as an engineer, and during his tenure, has helped shape the strategic direction for the company in several leadership roles. Prior to becoming CEO, Amon served as president of Qualcomm. In that role, he steered development of a leading and differentiated product roadmap, spearheaded Qualcomm’s 5G strategy – as well as its acceleration and global roll out – and drove the expansion and diversification of the business to serve multiple industries. Additionally, he has overseen the successful execution of M&A to augment Qualcomm’s capabilities and accelerate growth in key areas, including RF Front End, Connectivity, and Networking. Previously, Amon led Qualcomm’s semiconductor business as president of QCT.
Prior to Qualcomm, Amon served as chief technical officer for Vésper, a wireless operator in Brazil, and held leadership positions at NEC, Ericsson and Velocom. Amon holds a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering and an honorary doctorate from UNICAMP – Universidade Estadual de Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
“I look forward to serving as chair of SIA, an association that is as important and influential now as it has ever been in its 45-year history,” Amon said. “This is one of the most critical times for our industry as semiconductors become absolutely essential to America’s economic strength, national security, and global technology leadership. I’m eager to continue to work alongside my colleagues on key policy priorities to strengthen this important and strategic sector.”
Amon will participate in a fireside chat at the 2021 SIA Awards Dinner later today, Nov. 18. The event also will feature the presentation of the semiconductor industry’s highest honor, the Robert N. Noyce Award, to Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA and a trailblazer in building accelerated computing platforms.