Semiconductors and Globalization, Industry and Investment Perspectives

Semiconductors are now at the center of AI, industrial policy, and global competition. As the industry is reshaped by shifting supply chains, geopolitical tensions, and new waves of capital investment, understanding where the ecosystem is headed requires both a technical and commercial lens.
This conversation brings together a rare combination of perspectives across AI-enabled chip design, EDA, semiconductor operating leadership, and early-stage investing, with experience spanning Synopsys, Marvell, NXP, Cisco, Oracle, NASA JPL, and EnvisionX Capital.
We are excited to welcome:
Jimmy Cheng
Head of the Technology Intelligence Center within the Office of the CEO at Synopsys, where his team leads emerging technology strategy and long-term investment planning. As Chief of Staff at Synopsys, he led strategic oversight for 2,000+ engineers across EDA and AI-enabled chip design, driving growth across core businesses generating over $1B in annual revenue. Synopsys completed its $35 billion acquisition of Ansys in 2025, creating the industry’s first silicon-to-systems design platform. Jimmy also chairs the IEEE International Conference on LLM Aided Design (ICLAD) 2026, serves as VP of CASPA, is a Board Member at Myriad Ventures, and is a Strategic Advisor to Berkeley SkyDeck. Previously, he was Founder and CEO of Allie Inc and held senior leadership roles at Oracle and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He is Faculty at Caltech and holds an MS in Electrical Engineering from Stanford.
Holly Zheng
Founding Partner of EnvisionX Capital, an early-stage technology investment firm focused on AI infrastructure, B2B SaaS, and deep tech. The fund has achieved three successful exits and backed two unicorns in under three years, including XConn Technologies, acquired by Marvell for $540M, and PixVerse, which recently raised a $300M Series C. Holly also serves as Chairwoman of BlueFocus International and Deputy Chair of Plus Company. She previously held senior management roles at Marvell Technologies, NXP Semiconductors, and Cisco, focusing on sales, marketing, and corporate development. She was named to Forbes China’s 2025 100 Most Influential Chinese and is an adjunct professor at USC.
The discussion will explore how semiconductors are being shaped by AI, globalization, corporate strategy, and investment trends, and what these shifts mean for the future of technology leadership.
Details:
Time: Thursday, April 30, 12:00–1:00 PM
Location: M104
Moderator: Catherine Li