Microsoft has lost a top silicon engineering executive to rival Google Cloud. Rehan Sheikh, formerly Microsoft’s vice president of silicon manufacturing and engineering, has joined Google Cloud to lead its silicon chip technology innovation.
Sheikh played a key role in the launch of Microsoft’s new Azure Cobalt processors and Azure Maia 100 custom AI accelerator, pivotal components in Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure. His move to Google Cloud positions him as a leading silicon chip leader for the company.
Sheikh’s extensive background includes a 24-year tenure at Intel, where he oversaw silicon engineering and productization. His experience spans various segments, including 5G data centers, discrete graphics, and Atom-based system-on-a-chip processors. He joined Microsoft in 2021 as general manager of the company’s technology and product manufacturing engineering and was promoted to vice president of silicon manufacturing and packaging engineering in 2023.
“I am super excited to start this journey and contribute to Google Cloud growth,” Sheikh wrote in a recent LinkedIn post. “I look forward to working with many talented engineers and leaders at Google, and with the industry ecosystem experts.”
This executive shift comes as Google, Microsoft, and others are heavily investing in developing their own processors to meet the soaring demand for artificial intelligence hardware. Google has already invested heavily in bespoke AI chips, such as its Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) and Arm-based Axion CPUs. The company’s sixth-generation TPU, Trillium, became generally available last December. Additionally, Google unveiled its new quantum chip, Willow, which is designed to outperform the world’s most powerful supercomputers.
Sheikh’s move highlights the intensifying competition and strategic importance of advanced silicon chip technology in the cloud computing landscape.
