In this episode, we revisit a 2010 interview with Jay Kerley, then Deputy CIO and Corporate VP of Applied Materials, recorded during his visit to Bangalore. At the time, Kerley was leading one of the most ambitious IT transformations in the semiconductor industry — consolidating 17 decentralized IT groups, cutting vendors from 50 to just two, and building a global platform to support 3D CAD-led product development.
Key insights include:
Applied’s shift to global collaboration through MPLS, Teamcenter, and unified CAD environments
The impact of IT on the India R&D center, empowering local teams to drive innovation
Their move to video-first communication via Cisco Telepresence and Webex integration
Early discussions on remote work and high-performance computing from home (in 2010!)
How IT contributed to 20% of Applied’s goal to reduce 50,000 tons of carbon footprint globally
A nuanced take on why telecom was outsourced globally but IT infrastructure was retained in-house
Jay’s comments on sustainability, mobility, and the evolution of enterprise IT still resonate deeply today. This interview was conducted by Sudesh Prasad for Dataquest magazine.
About the Podcast
Global Voices of Tech brings to life rare, archival interviews with global tech leaders — curated using Google’s NotebookLM , and hosted by Sudesh Prasad, ex-Dataquest journalist and independent technology writer.
Disclaimer:This episode is generated from original published content and curated using AI (NotebookLM). While best efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, some minor errors or voice artifacts may occur.