[Apple Shockwave]⑭ The 'Farm Boy' Turned Cinderella... Becoming the Hope of US Semiconductors

Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger, Former Farmer, Lives a Drama-Like Life
Studied Hard While Working, Participated in Semiconductor Development from Early 20s

Editor's Note[Apple Shockwave] is a content series that explores the upheaval caused by Apple entering the semiconductor market. You might wonder why Apple is involved in semiconductors. Apple is no longer just a company that makes smartphones and computers. After long efforts starting from its founder, the late Steve Jobs, Apple has designed world-class semiconductors used in mobile devices. If Intel was the leader in the PC era, Apple has become the top predator in the mobile era semiconductor ecosystem. Amid the global semiconductor supply chain crisis and massive investments in semiconductor production facilities, we will carefully examine the upheaval and prospects in the semiconductor market brought about by Apple Silicon to broaden our readers' insights. Apple Shockwave will visit readers every Saturday. After more than 40 installments, it will be published as a book.

"I was from a farm and didn't even know what a CPU was. I was literally a Cinderella."

"You don't have to graduate from an Ivy League school to differentiate yourself in a company."

Pat Gelsinger, CEO of Intel

In 1979, several corporate recruiters visited Lincoln Tech, a technical college in Pennsylvania, USA. Among them was Ron Smith, an employee of Intel, a semiconductor company rapidly expanding its business.

It was somewhat inevitable that a semiconductor company's recruiter would visit the Northeast, a region known for dairy farming, rather than the West Coast where Silicon Valley, the booming IT industry hub, is located.

At that time, although the semiconductor and electronics industries were spreading, there was a shortage of related personnel. Smith volunteered to visit Lincoln Tech, a technical college in his hometown famous for milk production. Near Lincoln Tech is the Hershey chocolate factory. Pennsylvania is also famous for cream cheese. Due to the large milk production, related industries developed. It is a typical dairy town.

At this place, a historic hiring event for Intel took place. Smith probably did not expect to meet a young student who would be entrusted with Intel's future and, about 40 years later, the mission to revive the severely damaged U.S. semiconductor manufacturing industry.

Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger (left) is walking and chatting with President Joe Biden at the groundbreaking ceremony of a new factory in Ohio last September.
[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

This is the story of Pat Gelsinger, CEO of Intel. Gelsinger is a recognized American semiconductor expert. Between the 1980s and 1990s, the golden age of Intel's central processing units (CPUs) ? the 286, 386, and 486 CPUs ? was born with his participation. He was responsible for developing the 486.

Now, he carries the heavy burden that chips for Apple's iPhone must be produced in the U.S. by American companies. Having devoted 30 years to semiconductor development, he has returned to Silicon Valley as a missionary and fighter for the revival of U.S. semiconductor manufacturing, building a new silicon kingdom.

Looking into Gelsinger's life journey overlaps with the rise and fall of the U.S. semiconductor industry, especially Intel and Apple. Let's follow his path.

Pat Gelsinger (second from left), CEO of Intel, visited Japan on the 18th and held talks with Fumio Kishida, Prime Minister of Japan (fourth from left), followed by a commemorative photo. Kyung Kye-hyun, Head of Samsung Electronics DS Division (first from left), and Mark Liu, Chairman of TSMC (third from right), were also present. [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

The 'Dragon Born from a Stream' Entrusted with U.S. Semiconductors

CEO Gelsinger calls himself a "farm boy." Indeed, he is from a humble background. He was born and raised as a farmer, far removed from advanced IT technology.

Gelsinger was born in Bucks County, eastern Pennsylvania. At the 2010 census, the population was only about 2,000, a small town.

This area is home to the Amish community. Wikipedia describes Gelsinger as Amish as well. The Amish can be called "Korean Cheonghakdong" ? a Christian community village of German and Dutch descent families who cultivate farmland and raise cattle. It is famous for its separation from worldly civilization. Amish residents often refuse vaccinations for religious reasons, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. They still ride horse-drawn carriages instead of cars. They rarely watch TV and do not have washing machines. I once visited an Amish village in 2021 and was surprised by their old-fashioned lifestyle.

It is hard to believe that Intel's CEO was born in such a place. About 1 to 2 hours by car from here is Bell Labs in New Jersey, where the world's first semiconductor transistor was invented. But for rural-born Gelsinger, it might as well have been happening on another planet.

The scenery of an Amish village near the hometown of Pat Gelsinger, Intel CEO. Photo by Baek Jongmin

Gelsinger's profession was decided at birth: farmer. His father, who had eight siblings, had four children. Gelsinger was the eldest son. Although the family did not own a farm, he was expected to take over the family farming duties.

His daily routine was school, farm, and church. He woke up at 5 a.m. to raise dairy cows and pigs and cultivate soybeans and millet. The day school vacation started was the day hunting began. While the U.S. was conquering the moon with the power of semiconductors and computers, the Gelsinger family lived in the old-fashioned way.

"Pat, my wife fell in love with you after hearing your life story that started at a technical college." Joe Biden, President of the United States

In January last year, Gelsinger visited the White House to announce a $20 billion plan to build a semiconductor factory in Ohio. What President Joe Biden told Gelsinger then is a good example of how dramatic his life turnaround was.

"Yesterday, my wife (Dr. Jill Biden) asked me what was happening tomorrow, so I told her about the semiconductor factory investment and your story starting at a technical college. Then Jill said she loves you."

President Biden is also from Pennsylvania, like Gelsinger. It is certain that Biden knew Gelsinger's background in advance. That is why he explained Gelsinger's life story to the First Lady, who is a community college instructor.

Dr. Jill Biden still teaches students at a community college. She takes great pride in her role as a community college instructor, so it is easy to imagine her admiration for a CEO who started his career at a community college and rose to the top.

Gelsinger was an outstanding student to live as a farmer all his life. As the saying goes, a talented person stands out. An opportunity came. He unexpectedly passed an exam to receive a scholarship to enter Lincoln Tech, a technical college near his school. It was 1977 when he was 16 years old, equivalent to a high school sophomore. He described it as a Cinderella-like event.

Gelsinger enrolled in Lincoln Tech a year later. He worried about paying tuition if he could not keep up with classes. He attended Lincoln Tech for exactly 20 months. Although short, it was enough to change his life.

What Gelsinger met there as if by fate was the computer. Not the computer we know today, but a time when computers operated by punching holes in paper. For rural-born Gelsinger, it felt like a new world had opened.

Pat Gelsinger is also listed among the proud alumni of Conrad Weiser High School. He is the only person whose biography is featured on the school's official website among the proud alumni listed. Photo by Conrad Weiser High School website

As the 20 months of study were ending, recruiters from various IT companies visited the school. Intel was among them. Compared to large companies like IBM and HP, Intel was a small company. Due to the severe shortage of personnel, companies even came to rural technical colleges.

Interviewer Ron Smith invited Gelsinger and a few other students to California. Gelsinger flew on a plane for the first time. His parents could not understand their son going to interview at a company handling silicon in California, which seemed like a faraway land. Gelsinger himself was unsure.

"Mom, surely I won't get hired by that company."

And a few months later, after graduating from Lincoln Tech, Gelsinger boarded a plane to California again. The young technical college graduate became a junior employee at what would become the world's largest semiconductor company. His 30-year first phase at Intel began.

The 18-year-old who started a new life as an Intel employee could not stop running. His superiors and colleagues taught him the work and encouraged further study. The year after joining, he transferred to Santa Clara University and graduated. This was possible thanks to the company's financial support and consideration. He studied in the morning and went to work in the afternoon. He then earned a master's degree at Stanford University, a cradle of the semiconductor field. He described the situation at the time as follows.

"If I got below a B grade, I might lose tuition support. I couldn't afford tuition. I worked and studied like crazy."

Gelsinger's semiconductor journey continues in the next installment.