Suhas Patil

Cirrus Logic, Founder

Suhas Patil is founder and retired Chairman Emeritus of Cirrus Logic Inc., a leading semiconductor company. He is cofounder of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TIE) world’s largest nonprofit for fostering entrepreneurs and served as its founding president. Before becoming an entrepreneur Dr. Patil was Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering at MIT from 1970 to 1975 and an Associate Professor in University of Utah from 10975 to 1980. In 1966 Dr. Patil developed one of the first on line information management system for the department of Electrical Engineering at MIT. At MIT Suhas became interested in developing new method for designing large semiconductor chips for building computer. Based on his research at MIT and University of Utah on computer aided design of semiconductor chips, he pioneered a new type of semiconductor company, one that focused effort on design of semiconductor chip products but did not manufacture the chips themselves. His company Cirrus Logic made application specific chips to support immerging personal computer market that was rapidly unfolding around them. In 1992, Suhas together with other successful entrepreneurs and businessmen of South Asian origin in the Silicon Valley formed a non-profit organization called TiE. Suhas was first president and under his leadership TiE became an effective and respected organization nurturing and mentoring entrepreneurs and young companies. He and his wife Jayashree were early supporter of The Computer History Museum, The Tech Museum, High School at Harker Academy, UC Berkley South Asia Community Chair, Livermore Temple and Sunnyvale Temple. MIT and IIT Kharagpur were recipient of major gifts form Suhas and Jayashree. Dr. Patil was born in Jamshedpur India in 1944. He received his B. Tech (Honors) in Electronics and Electrical Communications from Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, in 1965. He earned his Master of Science degree in Engineering from MIT in 1967 and his Doctor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from MIT in 1970. In 1995 Suhas was first IIT-alumnus to be conferred Honorary Doctorate by IIT, which he received along with Dr. Abdul Kalam who later became President of India. In 2009 Suhas received PAN-IIT’s first Entrepreneurial Achievement Award. In February 2003 Dr Patil was named Life Fellow of Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. He served on the board of trustee of The Computer History Museum, The Tech and the World Affairs Council of Northern California.