In Her Current Role, Na's Team Explores New Materials and Concepts for Semiconductor Chips Five to 10 Years Ahead of Manufacturing

Myung-hee Na, vice president and general manager of technology research at Intel Foundry, says the biggest difference between working in the US and Korea is how people approach innovation. Na, who spent 18 years at IBM in New York and Vermont, two years in Belgium, and three years at SK Hynix in South Korea, said the US fosters innovation and independent thinking, while Korea emphasizes discipline and execution. In her current role, Na's team explores new materials and concepts for semiconductor chips five to 10 years ahead of manufacturing.

She said both approaches have strengths and weaknesses, and the industry needs both innovation and execution. Na also stressed the importance of diversity, noting that the best ideas come from people with different backgrounds and perspectives. I never thought about it that way.