New Delhi: Semiconductor executive Sanjay Mehrotra is the only Indian-origin business leader accompanying President Donald Trump on his high-profile visit to China. Mehrotra is part of an influential delegation that includes Jensen Huang of Nvidia, Tim Cook of Apple and Elon Musk of Tesla.
The 13 to 15 May visit is significant for US-China relations. Both countries are expected to discuss several key issues, including artificial intelligence, technology, and semiconductors.
Mehrotra is the CEO of American semiconductor company Micron Technology. His presence in the delegation has raised eyebrows since China restricted the use of certain Micron Technology chips in critical infrastructure projects citing national security concerns.
His participation, along with his Indian origins, has brought attention to India’s semiconductor industry. Mehrotra is the key figure facilitating US semiconductor investment to India.
His company, Micron Technology, sought Cabinet approval last year to invest $2.75 billion in setting up a semiconductor testing and packaging unit in Gujarat. The investment was seen as a major step forward in boosting India’s semiconductor ambitions.
The Micron plant was the first proposal approved in 2023 under the government’s India Semiconductor Mission (ISM), which has since expanded into India Semiconductor Mission 2.0.
After meeting Mehrotra last year, PM Modi termed the investment as a “proud day for India.”
“The inauguration of Micron’s semiconductor facility marks a milestone in India’s journey towards technological leadership,” he said.
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Kanpur-born businessman
Mehrotra was born in Kanpur in 1958 and completed his schooling at Sardar Patel Vidyalaya in New Delhi. He enrolled at Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani before moving to the US at the age of 18 to study at University of California, Berkeley.
“My dad always had the vision to send me to the US for my undergraduate studies. And I just want to point out that in those days, especially coming from a middle-class family, it was a pretty big vision on his part,” Mehrotra said in an interview at the Computer History Museum in 2019.
After completing his master’s degree in Electrical engineering and computer science, Mehrotra pursued an executive business programme at Stanford University. Another feather in his cap is an honorary doctorate awarded by Boise State University.
Mehrotra worked as a design engineer at Intel before co-founding SanDisk in 1988. He took on the role of CEO at Micron in 2017. The company focuses on advancing semiconductor memory and storage solutions.
Micron has also donated money to President Trump’s ballroom at the White House.
“I am a great example of, you know, an immigrant, of course I have created several jobs here in the US and I look forward to policies and opportunities to continue to make America that magnet of bringing top talent,” Mehrotra said in an interview with Economic Times in 2020.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)