Intel CEO Patrick Gelsinger to speak at Ohio State's spring commencement

Intel CEO Patrick Gelsinger will deliver Ohio State's spring commencement address, the university announced Tuesday.

Gelsinger began his career at Intel in 1979 at age 18, spending more than four decades with the technology company. In the 1980s, Gelsinger developed the original 80486 processor and went on to position Intel as the world's largest semiconductor chip maker by revenue.

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"Pat Gelsinger’s groundbreaking work has, quite literally, changed the way we live. Over the past four decades, he has played a key role in ushering in technological advancements – from microprocessors to WiFi – that are the hallmarks of the modern digital age. And he isn’t close to done yet," said Ohio State President Kristina M. Johnson.

Patrick Gelsinger's background in technology

Gelsinger managed the creation of several other technologies including USB and WiFi, and played key roles in the development of the Intel Core and Intel Xeon processor families. He was also Intel's first chief technology officer.

After leaving Intel in 2009, Gelsinger was president and chief operating officer of EMC’s Information Infrastructure Products. In 2012, he joined VMware as its CEO. Gelsinger returned to Intel in February 2021 and was named the company’s chief executive officer.

In 2019, Gelsinger was ranked the best CEO in America, according to an annual survey by Glassdoor.

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"(Gelsinger) determination and fortitude, coupled with a magnanimous philanthropic spirit, have changed countless lives for the better," Johnson said.

Intel's investment in Ohio

In January, Intel announced plans to construct two new chip factories $20 billion in Ohio, making it the largest single private sector investment in state history and establishing it as the world's biggest chip factory.

Intel also announced it would invest an additional $100 million toward partnerships with educational institutions in Ohio and nationwide to develop talent and bolster research programs in the region.

Ohio State will give out more than 12,000 degrees and certificates to graduates on May 8 in Ohio Stadium.

Sheridan Hendrix is a higher education reporter at the Columbus Dispatch. You can reach her at shendrix@dispatch.com. You can follow her on Twitter at @sheridan120. Sign up for her Mobile Newsroom newsletter here and her education newsletter here.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State: Intel CEO Patrick P. Gelsinger to speak at commencement