Henry Samueli

Biography

With a persistent vision to pursue the most advanced technology to deliver the most competitive solutions for bandwidth and connectivity, Henry Samueli’s founding and leadership of Broadcom has resulted in communications products that have touched virtually every person in the world. Broadcom’s semiconductor devices play a key role in millions of communication infrastructure equipment boxes (transceivers, switches, routers, controllers) that make up the global Internet network and in billions of consumer electronics devices (smart phones, set-top boxes, tablets, laptops, desktop computers, IoT devices) that connect to this network. From the early days of Broadcom, Samueli used his depth and breadth of knowledge spanning digital signal processing, digital integrated circuit design, and analog radio-frequency (RF) circuit design to provide a roadmap for combining analog, RF, and digital processing on a single chip using state-of-the-art CMOS technology, resulting in the highest levels of integration. These system-on-a-chip (SOC) products contain billions of transistors integrating complex analog and digital circuits all in one device. These devices literally address every aspect of digital communication from wired to wireless, from copper and coaxial cable to fiber, and over extremely short distances to long haul. Samueli was personally responsible for building a very strong engineering culture of open communication and cooperation at Broadcom. He devised a unique and effective yearly companywide technology review program that enabled him to update his understanding of every engineering project and set the company’s technology direction. His techniques also greatly increased engineering efficiency, teamwork, and productivity. Samueli has also made major societal, educational, and economic impact through his philanthropy work, donating over US$800M to various organizations focusing on STEM education, underserved youth, and integrative health. By endowing the Samueli Schools of Engineering at UCLA and UC Irvine, he has helped to ensure that future generations of students will be able to receive the same great education that he did.

An IEEE Fellow and member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, Samueli is chairman of the board of Broadcom Inc.