Rehan Sheikh, Microsoft’s former vice president of silicon manufacturing and engineering, has transitioned to Google Cloud, where he now serves as vice president of global silicon chip technology and manufacturing. Sheikh, a seasoned silicon chip expert, played a pivotal role at Microsoft, leading the development of the Azure Cobalt processor and the Azure Maia 100 custom AI accelerator.

With over two decades of experience at Intel, Sheikh’s career includes spearheading silicon engineering and productization efforts for 5G data centers, discrete graphics, and Atom-based system-on-chip processors. In 2021, he joined Microsoft to head the company’s silicon development initiatives and was later promoted to oversee silicon manufacturing and packaging engineering.

Sheikh’s move comes as Google, Microsoft, and other tech giants intensify their investments in developing proprietary processors to meet the growing global demand for AI hardware. Google has made significant strides in AI-specific chip innovation, including its Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) and Arm-based Axion CPUs. Notably, Google launched its sixth-generation TPU, Trillium, and unveiled the quantum chip Willow in December, showcasing its advancements in AI and quantum computing.

Sheikh’s expertise is expected to bolster Google Cloud’s efforts in creating next-generation silicon solutions to power AI-driven workloads and cloud infrastructure.