Episode 30: Mike Slessor

In this episode of the Titanium Economy Podcast, host Vineet Gupta speaks with Mike Slessor, President and CEO of FormFactor, about the transformation of semiconductor testing and innovation at the frontier of AI, photonics, and advanced packaging. Mike shares how FormFactor’s deep customer integration—where over a third of employees work directly with partners like Samsung, TSMC, Intel, and NVIDIA—drives precision, speed, and collaboration. He highlights key inflection points such as silicon photonics for energy-efficient data centers, high-bandwidth memory testing for AI, and the role of advanced packaging in extending Moore’s Law. He also discusses the company’s strategic U.S. expansion through a Texas brownfield acquisition following its divestiture of China operations, underscoring how geopolitics is reshaping the semiconductor value chain. Mike Slessor has led FormFactor since 2014, guiding it to a $750M global leader in semiconductor test and measurement with 2,200 employees worldwide. A former CEO of MicroProbe (acquired by FormFactor), he began his career at KLA-Tencor. Mike holds a PhD in Aeronautics and Physics from Caltech and a BSc in Engineering Physics from the University of British Columbia. Under his leadership, FormFactor continues to pioneer next generation testing solutions powering the semiconductor industry’s most complex challenges.   Discussion Points (01:37) Market Position & Portfolio: FormFactor’s probe cards enable wafer-level testing, while its systems business supports lab-to-fab transitions for next-gen technologies like quantum computing. (03:29) Innovation & Customer Collaboration: Deep alignment with key customers drives sustained R&D investment. Engineering teams maintain daily collaboration with global semiconductor leaders. (06:49) Technology Trends: 5G/6G, silicon photonics, and advanced packaging are reshaping the industry—improving data center efficiency and pushing Moore’s Law forward. (15:25) Geopolitics & Manufacturing Strategy: Following its China divestiture, FormFactor is expanding U.S. production with a Texas facility to strengthen resilience amid shifting trade dynamics. Ayna is a premier advisory and implementation firm in the industrial technology space, leveraging a team of experienced leaders to help companies and investors drive performance improvement and value creation. The host of this episode is Ayna's Vineet Gupta.   For More Information Mike Slessor LinkedIn Ayna Website Vineet Gupta