Mr. Samer KABBANI
Chief Executive Officer, AEM
Samer Kabbani is the CEO of AEM, where he leads the company’s global strategy, innovation agenda, and operational execution as AEM evolves into a platform technology leader serving advanced semiconductor and electronics markets. With over 25 years of experience across semiconductor test, thermal systems, automation, and complex capital equipment, he has driven AEM’s diversification since joining in 2020.
He was appointed President and CTO in 2022, before assuming the role of CEO in 2025. Samer holds nearly 40 patents in semiconductor automation, test, and thermal management. He earned his engineering degree from McGill University, with executive training from the Kellogg School of Management.
Keynote 4
Transforming Test: From Brute Force Scaling to Value-Driven, Orchestrated Ecosystems
The semiconductor industry is being reshaped not only by the rising complexity of AI-era devices, but also by the geographic realignment of global supply chains. Nowhere is this more consequential than in Southeast Asia, where a significant share of the world’s assembly and test capability already resides. The region now has an opportunity to move beyond its traditional role as a manufacturing endpoint and help define the next operating model for semiconductor scale.
In this environment, the question is no longer simply how to add more capacity. It is how to build more effective ecosystems. The next phase of growth will depend less on brute-force expansion and more on how well capital, capability, and collaboration are aligned across OSATs, specialized technology providers, manufacturing partners, and customers. This is especially true in assembly and test, where rising complexity, faster product cycles, and growing end-market diversity are placing new pressure on both economics and execution.
Test must also be redefined. It can no longer be viewed primarily as a downstream cost center. In the AI era, it is increasingly becoming a strategic enabler of performance, reliability, speed to market, and supply-chain resilience.
This session will share a CEO perspective on why Southeast Asia is uniquely positioned to lead this transition, and how stronger regional collaboration across the assembly and test landscape can help the industry move beyond fragmented, capital-heavy scaling toward more resilient, value-driven, and globally relevant ecosystems for the next era of semiconductor innovation.