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March 04, 2025

Crossing oceans: Loi Nguyen's Engineering Odyssey

By Roy Rubenstein

This article first appeared in Gazettabyte.

"What is the timeline?"

It's a question the CEO of Marvell, Matt Murphy, would pose to Loi Nguyen each year during their one-on-one meetings. "I've always thought of myself as a young guy; retirement seemed far away," says Nguyen. "Then, in October, it seemed like the time is now."

Nguyen will not, however, disappear. He will work on specific projects and take part in events, but this will no longer be a full-time role.

Early life and journey to the US

One of nine children, Nguyen grew up in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Mathematically inclined from an early age, he faced limited options when considering higher education.

"In the 1970s, you could only apply to one university, and you either passed or failed," he says. "That decided your career."

Wolf. Loi Nguyen, high-speed semiconductor entrepreneur at Marvell and an award-winning wildlife photographer.

Study choices were also limited, either engineering or physics. Nguyen chose physics, believing the entrance would be easier.

But he spent only one year at university before leaving, becoming one of the "boat people", the large-scale exodus from Vietnam.

But that one year at university was pivotal. "It proved I could get into a very tough competitive environment," he says. "I could compete with the best."

Nguyen arrived in the US with limited English and no money. He found work in his first year before signing up at a community college. Here, he excelled and graduated with first- class honours.

Finding a mentor & purpose

Nguyen's next achievement was to gain a full scholarship to study at Cornell University. At Cornell, Nguyen planned to earn his degree, find a job, and support his family in Vietnam. Then a Cornell academic changed everything.

The late Professor Lester Eastman was a pioneer researcher in high-speed semiconductor devices and circuits using materials such as gallium arsenide and indium phosphide. "Field-effect transistors (FETs), bipolar - any kind of high-speed devices," says Nguyen. "I was just so inspired by how he talked about his research."

In his senior year, he talked to his classmates about their plans. Most students sought industry jobs, but the best were advancing to graduate school.

"What is graduate school?" Nguyen asked and was told about gaining a doctorate. The GRE deadline to apply to top US universities was only a week away.

Was it off to a PhD or a position in product management? And how did Inphi come about? For the rest of the story, go to Gazettabyte.

Bear Loi Nguyen got a coveted permit to visit Canada’s Wapusk National Park. This photograph of a polar bear family won him an award and appeared in National Geographic. 

Tags: What Makes Marvell

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