DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS AWARDEE | 2026
Mr. Sachin Katti is currently the Head of Compute Infrastructure at OpenAI, where he focuses on building the computing platforms and supply chains needed to train and run frontier AI models. He works at the intersection of networking, semiconductor systems, and large-scale artificial intelligence infrastructure.
After his B.Tech. from IIT Bombay, Mr. Katti got an M.S. in 2005 and a Ph.D. in 2009 in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EE&CS) from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Previously, Mr. Katti was a professor (2010-2023) of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EE&CS) at Stanford University. His research group worked on wireless networks, distributed systems, and datacentre networking, with their work cited more than 30,000 times on Google Scholar. His research contributions include early work on full-duplex wireless radios, programmable networks, and systems that improve the efficiency and reliability of large-scale networks. He continues to be an Adjunct Professor at Stanford University for EE&CS.
Mr. Katti also co-founded Kumu Networks, a company focused on commercialising full-duplex wireless technology for next-generation radio systems.
Before joining OpenAI, he served as Senior Vice President and Chief Technology & AI Officer at Intel (2022 2025), where he worked on the company’s AI and networking strategy and helped shape its approach to AI infrastructure and semiconductor platforms.
He was also VP, VMware (2019-2021), and the Founder & CEO of Uhana (2016-2019).
Across academia and industry, his work has focused on improving the efficiency, scale, and capabilities of the systems that underpin modern connectivity, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence.
Mr. Katti has won several awards and recognitions over his illustrious career. These include the SIGMOBILE Test of Time Award, 2021; the Young Alumni Achiever Award, IIT Bombay (2015); the Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship, 2013; the NSF CAREER Award, 2012; the IEEE William R. Bennett Prize, 2009; the George M. Sprowls Award for Best Doctoral Dissertation, MIT, 2009; the ACM Doctoral Dissertation Award – Honorable Mention, 2009; the Terman Faculty Fellowship, Stanford University; and the Okawa Foundation Research Fellowship.
Interests & Hobbies: Skiing, Running, Hiking.
A Personal Note: My career has spanned a wide spectrum: from academia to startups to a large corporate role and a frontier research lab. Each of these transitions was risky, but I think it was made possible due to the foundation that the time at IIT Bombay laid for me.
