Mukund Chavan ’92 arrived in the U.S. from India as a teenager in 1986, curious about the technology taking shape in Silicon Valley. His family already had a Syracuse University connection: his aunt earned a graduate degree at SU and spent her career at Bird Library. “So naturally when I emigrated to the US and arrived in Syracuse in my late teens, I too aspired to attend the University,” says Chavan.
In the College of Engineering and Computer Science, courses in circuit design, computer architecture, operating systems and VLSI design “were all instrumental in preparing me for entering the world of chip design.” Writing classes and lab reports built the communication skills he still uses to define chip specifications. He credits faculty and doctoral students for giving him the ability to hit the ground running as he entered the chip industry. “They were wonderful mentors and I credit them for my foundational learnings and inspiration in my academic journey,” says Chavan.
The engineering co-op program also gave him his first look at how a chip comes together and the career fair led to his first job at Intel.
Curiosity has driven his career since. He co-founded Hyperion Technologies, founded Aarohi Communications and RackWare, and held leadership roles at Emulex, UnitedLayer and Advanced Micro Devices. At Tesla, he delivered the company’s Full Self-Driving computer into volume production, then joined Apple’s Special Projects Group before moving to Rivian in 2021.
At Rivian, Chavan is vice president of ASIC design and leads the company’s chip design efforts. His team developed the Rivian Autonomy Processor (RAP1), a custom silicon chip unveiled last December during Rivian’s Autonomy & AI Day. Chavan says that RAP1 has demonstrated Rivian’s vertical integration capabilities and put Rivian “squarely in the AI space.”
Chavan recommends the next generation of engineers and computer scientists take advantage of the opportunities the College of Engineering and Computer Science provides.
“Syracuse’s focus on a holistic education that covers a well-rounded curriculum with ability to take courses from different departments - especially in the age of AI - is super important to prepare students to enter the workforce to be productive from the get go,” says Chavan. “Syracuse’s emphasis on practical experience through co-ops and internships gives students a good preview of what to expect in the real world so that they can be motivated in their choice of courses as well as their learning journey.”