Sir Robin Saxby Reflects on Impact of AI, Geopolitics, and Retirement

Sir Robin Saxby, founding CEO and chairman of Arm, said in an exclusive video interview at the TechWorks S2S Summit 2026 in West London that today's semiconductor CEOs face a far tougher job navigating geopolitical tensions and localized legislation than during his tenure, noting 'Unfortunately for any CEO today, making decisions long-term, like investments and so on, is a lot more difficult than when I was a CEO.' Saxby, who led Arm from 1991 to 2007 and was knighted in 2002, also discussed the rising complexity of system-level engineering and cautioned engineers about the risks of AI tools, while reflecting on his ongoing work fostering U.K. innovation.

One person whom I can say has been part of the semiconductor industry since I started my career way back in the 1980s is Robin Saxby. At the time, he was with a company called European Silicon Structures, or ES2. He went on to become the founding CEO and chairman of Arm, which he joined in 1991 and retired from in 2007. He was knighted in 2002 in recognition of his work, gaining the title ‘Sir’. Along with the founding team, which included Jamie Urquhart, whom we paid tribute to here https://www.eetimes.com/jamie-urquhart-1957-2026-friendly-supportive-right-to-the-end/ , Saxby led Arm to global dominance in mobile phones by being in the right place at the right time and, more importantly, by consistently adhering to a business model that became a benchmark for many others see Tudor Brown: Lessons from Arm https://www.eetimes.com/tudor-brown-lessons-from-arm/ . In my encounters with Sir Robin Saxby over those years and beyond, the one thing I observed about him was his energy to take Arm wherever it needed to be. If that meant getting on a plane to the U.S. or to Japan or anywhere else where the opportunities were, he’d be there. I was really enthusiastic when he agreed to talk with me for an exclusive video interview during the recent TechWorks S2S Semiconductors to Systems Summit 2026 in West London, U.K. We took the opportunity to find out what he’s up to these days—many semiconductor industry executives don’t seem to ‘retire’ anymore but instead keep going to the best of their capability, often taking on multiple roles. View All https://www.eetimes.com/category/sponsored-content/ You can watch the full video interview below: Alternatively, you can listen to the audio here: In the conversation, we took a wide-ranging look at the state of the global technology industry, engineering leadership, and life beyond the boardroom. Saxby shared his perspectives on how the chip industry has moved from the tightly interconnected global ecosystem he helped navigate to today’s fragmented geopolitical landscape, highlighted by initiatives such as the U.S. CHIPS Act and some of the trade friction that has ensued. We also discussed the rising complexity of system-level engineering, where 3D packaging, AI tools, and massive, multi-disciplinary software integration demand unprecedented levels of team collaboration over individual genius. Throughout our conversation, Saxby reflected on his ongoing work fostering U.K. innovation—from seed-funding the Royal Academy of Engineering Enterprise Hub https://enterprisehub.raeng.org.uk/ to driving technology initiatives at the University of Liverpool. He candidly addressed the challenges facing today’s CEOs compared to his tenure, the real-world promise and pitfalls of AI in engineering, and why maintaining personal passions—whether vintage radio restoration, music, or football—is vital for sustained long-term success. On the fragmentation of the global chip ecosystem, he noted that during his career at Motorola, ES2, and Arm, semiconductor design and manufacturing were inherently global. Today’s semiconductor leaders face a far tougher job navigating localized legislation and geopolitical tensions, including those surrounding the various CHIPS Acts and even Brexit in the U.K. He commented, “Unfortunately for any CEO today, making decisions long-term, like investments and so on, is a lot more difficult than when I was a CEO.” On system complexity and AI in engineering, Saxby talked about how modern silicon design has evolved far beyond flat layout sheets into hyper-complex, 3D, multi-variable engineering challenges. He said that as technology gets more expensive and complex, success for engineering managers and their teams relies on building balanced, specialized teams rather than expecting one engineer to master the entire stack. On AI tools, while Saxby is an active user of all the main tools, he cautioned engineers about the risks. He pointed out that AI lacks emotional intelligence and can easily deliver flatly incorrect specifications if engineers become subservient to the tool rather than treating it strictly as an accelerator. On a higher level, he said he envisions AI doing for biology what mathematics historically did for physics. And what advice would he have for early-career engineers and leaders? He said they need to be conscious of a key transition: Academic success rewards individual competition such as getting the top grade, but industry success requires deep collaboration and the right cultural fit, where motivation happens naturally. Also read: First Benchmarks Revealed for Jalapeño, OpenAI’s Clean-Sheet General Purpose https://www.eetimes.com/first-benchmarks-revealed-for-jalapeno-openais-clean-sheet-general-purpose-ai-accelerator-asic/ NXP Expands Industrial Endpoint Access with MCU Topology Discovery https://www.eetimes.com/nxp-expands-industrial-endpoint-access-with-mcu-topology-discovery/ Andes Condor Closure Came Amid Broader Cost-Cutting Effort https://www.eetimes.com/andes-condor-closure-came-amid-broader-cost-cutting-effort/ Agentic AI, Multi‑Physics, and Standards Will Redefine Chips Design https://www.eetimes.com/agentic-ai-multi-physics-and-standards-will-redefine-chips-design/