Tsugio Makimoto

A leader in Japan's semiconductor industry, Makimoto is sometimes called "Mr. Semiconductor" in Japan. He participated in the controversy over the trade conflict in the semiconductor industry between Japan and the US as a representative from Japan. He proposed a theory called "Makimoto Wave," stating that "a period in which standardization is valued and a period in which customization is emphasized alternate every 10 years."

He was born on Remacle Island in Japan; his father was a school teacher. Makimoto attended La Salle High School, located in Kagoshima. He received his B.S. in Applied Physics from the University of Tokyo in 1959, his M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University in 1966, and his Ph.D. from the University of Tokyo in 1971.

He joined Hitachi Ltd. in 1959, where he held various senior positions, including Executive Managing Director from 1993, Senior Executive Managing Director from 1997, and Corporate Chief Technologist from 1998. After 40 years at Hitachi, Ltd., Makimoto was head-hunted in 2000 by then Sony President, Nobuyuki Idei. He became an Operating Managing Director and then Corporate Senior Executive Vice President at Sony.

He has served as Senior Advisor of Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corp. Makimoto has also served as the Chairman of PDF Solutions KK and Chairman of the Society of Semiconductor Industry Seniors. He has served as a Member of the Technical Advisory Panel of Inphi Corporation from December 2008 and as a Member of the Advisory Board of Nantero, Inc. He served as a Director of GLOBALFOUNDRIES Singapore Pte. Ltd. (formerly Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing Ltd.) from September 1999 to April 2008.

He served as a Member of the International Advisory Panel of the National Science and Technology Board of Singapore from 1999 to 2000, the Chairman of the Japan Institute of Electronics Packaging from 2003 to 2005, and a Member of the Industry Advisory Board of UC/Berkeley (EE/CS) from 2003 to 2006. Makimoto also served on the Board of Directors of Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing from 1999 to 2008, and on the Board of Directors of Elpida Memory Inc. from 2006 to 2010.

He received the Bellwether Award from Semico Research in 2003 for his vision, leadership, and outstanding contributions to the semiconductor industry, and the SEMI Recognition Award at the 2004 ITPC. He was also nominated a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. in 1997. Makimoto is also a Visiting Professor at Tokyo University, and he authored several books including "Living with the Chip" and "Digital Nomad." He has spoken at academic conferences in and outside Japan as a representative of the semiconductor industry, contributing to the development of the industry.