Sandra Rivera is a proven leader with more than three decades of technology and semiconductor experience in data center, communications, industrial, automotive, aerospace and defense markets.
Most recently, Rivera served as the chief executive officer of Altera, a semiconductor company focused on the development of field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) that are used across the data center, communications, industrial, automotive, aerospace and defense markets. Prior to Altera, Rivera led Intel’s Data Center and AI Group, where she guided development of data center products, including Intel Xeon processors, Intel Max and Flex series graphic processors, Intel Gaudi AI accelerators and FPGA products. Rivera also drove Intel’s overall artificial intelligence (AI) strategy and product roadmap. In 2023, Rivera was named by Time Magazine as one of the industry’s most influential people in AI.
From 2019–21, Rivera was Intel’s chief people officer, leading the company’s human resources organization worldwide. She also led Intel’s Network Platforms Group from 2017–19, driving the transformation of network infrastructure to Intel-based solutions.
Rivera joined Intel in 2000 as a marketing director after the acquisition of Dialogic Corp. Earlier, Rivera co-founded and served as president of The CTI Authority and served as president of the computer telephony division at Catalyst Telecom.
Rivera holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from The Pennsylvania State University. She sits on the Equinix board of directors and is chair of the Talent and Compensation Committee. She serves as chairwoman of VSORA, a European fabless semiconductor company, and she is a member of UC Berkeley’s engineering advisory board.