Saras Micro Devices hires ex-Amkor chiefs for growth

Saras Micro Devices has appointed Shaun Bowers and Georgette Woodyard to its senior leadership team. Both previously held senior roles at Amkor.

Bowers joins as Senior Vice President of Product Management, and Woodyard as Senior Vice President of Sales and Business Development. The hires come as the Arizona-based semiconductor company shifts from technology development to product scaling, customer validation and broader commercial activity.

The appointments reflect Saras' need for executives with experience in advanced packaging, manufacturing and customer engagement as chipmakers grapple with power delivery issues in artificial intelligence systems. The company is developing package-level power technology for processors and accelerators used in AI and high-performance computing.

Power delivery has become a growing challenge for semiconductor companies as processors draw higher current and operate within tighter voltage margins. That shift is pushing more of the problem into the chip package instead of leaving it solely to board-level design.

Bowers spent 23 years at Amkor, where he held senior roles including Vice President of Business Analytics and Strategic Engagement, Vice President of Power Products, and Vice President of Package Development and Technology Integration. Before joining Saras, he worked as a consultant advising companies on technical market analysis, business development strategy and commercialisation.

In his new role, he will oversee product management and help align the company's technology roadmap with customer requirements, manufacturing needs and business priorities.

Saras Chief Executive Officer Ron Huemoeller said the appointments mark a key point in the company's transition.

"We are attracting leaders who have built semiconductor products, worked closely with global customers and understand what it takes to move advanced packaging technologies into commercial markets," said Huemoeller. "Saras is at the point where product strategy, customer engagement and execution must move in lockstep. Shaun and Georgette bring that experience and are strengthening a team that has built real momentum. This addition is strategically important as we transition from proving the technology to scaling the business."

Bowers said the challenge now is aligning engineering, production and customer expectations.

"The challenge now is not simply proving that the technology works. It is making sure the product roadmap, customer requirements and manufacturing path are aligned early," he said. "Power delivery is becoming a package-level constraint, and customers need solutions that can meet their electrical targets while fitting into real qualification, reliability and production requirements. That is where disciplined product management can make a measurable difference."

Woodyard brings more than 35 years of experience in semiconductor packaging. Her background includes senior roles at Amkor and STATS ChipPAC, spanning sales, customer engagement, business development and regional market expansion.

At Saras, she will lead sales strategy, customer engagement, market expansion and partnerships. Her remit includes turning early customer interest into longer-term commercial relationships.

Packaging focus

Saras is developing what it calls STILE technology, which embeds passive components within the package substrate to bring power delivery closer to the processor. The approach is intended to shorten the distance between energy storage, regulation and the compute die.

That matters because AI and high-performance computing chips are placing greater demands on power delivery networks. By shifting key functions into the package, semiconductor companies hope to reduce electrical losses and maintain tighter voltage regulation as system demands rise.

Saras says it has established more than 15 customer engagements, particularly in AI infrastructure. It has also built an intellectual property portfolio of more than 60 patent filings and more than a dozen granted US patents.

Founded in 2021, Saras operates in Chandler, Arizona, and Atlanta. Its products target applications including AI, machine learning, AR and VR, 5G and 6G, and other advanced computing systems.

Woodyard said customer adoption will depend as much on execution as on technical promise.

"Customers recognize the power delivery problem is no longer theoretical, but adoption of emerging solutions still depends on trust, timing and clear execution," she said. "My focus is to make sure we are close to the right customers and partners, understand what they need to move from evaluation to adoption and build the commercial path that supports Saras' long-term growth."