Ex-Goldman and Chips for America Executive Srujan Linga Appointed CEO of Kandou AI

Srujan Linga, a former Managing Director at Goldman Sachs, has been appointed CEO of Kandou AI, a Switzerland-based semiconductor company.

Kandou AI develops energy-efficient chips designed for AI cloud-service and hardware providers in the U.S. The company aims to help reduce the high costs of AI infrastructure by addressing bottlenecks in AI memory systems.

Linga emphasized that lowering the cost of AI systems is essential for widespread adoption. He also underlined the importance of bringing semiconductor manufacturing to the U.S., especially to support emerging technologies critical to national security. He has taken a pragmatic stance on U.S. industrial policy, saying the debate between tariffs and grants is less important than achieving the outcome of domestic manufacturing.

Background:

• In 2023, Linga was recruited by the Biden administration to help lead the Chips for America initiative — a $52 billion effort to revitalize U.S. semiconductor production under the Chips and Science Act .

• While at the Department of Commerce, he worked closely with then-Secretary Gina Raimondo and was a core member of the government’s AI task force.

• Before government service, he ran Goldman Sachs’ global structured-credit financing group.

• He holds a master’s in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT.

Leadership Transition:

Kandou AI’s founder and outgoing CEO, Amin Shokrollahi, will remain with the company as Chief Technology Officer (CTO).

Source: Bloomberg