NEW DELHI (Diya TV) — Semiconductor giant Micron Technology has crossed the $1 trillion market capitalization mark, placing renewed attention on Indian American CEO Sanjay Mehrotra and his remarkable journey from repeated U.S. visa rejections to leading one of the world’s most valuable chip companies.
The milestone highlights the growing global demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure and advanced memory chips. It also marks another major chapter in Mehrotra’s decades-long rise in the semiconductor industry. Long before he became one of the most influential executives in Silicon Valley, Mehrotra faced a life-changing setback in New Delhi in 1976. At the time, the teenage engineering student from Kanpur had been denied a U.S. student visa three times. The rejection threatened his dream of studying at the University of California, Berkeley.
According to an interview Mehrotra gave to the Computer History Museum, his father refused to accept the decision. While Mehrotra prepared to leave the U.S. Embassy, his father stayed behind and approached the American consul directly. During a 20-minute conversation inside the consul’s office, Mehrotra’s father argued passionately for his son’s academic potential and future. The discussion changed everything. The consul reversed the earlier decision and approved Mehrotra’s visa. That moment opened the door to Silicon Valley and helped shape one of the technology industry’s most inspiring success stories.
Sanjay Mehrotra was born in Kanpur in 1958. He studied at BITS Pilani before moving to the United States at age 18. After arriving in California, he attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering and computer science. Mehrotra often credits his father’s persistence during the embassy meeting as a defining lesson in determination and resilience. His journey from a middle-class Indian family to the top of the global semiconductor industry continues to inspire young engineers and entrepreneurs across India and beyond.
In 1988, Mehrotra co-founded SanDisk with Eli Harari and Jack Yuan. The company became a pioneer in flash memory storage technology and played a major role in the growth of digital storage devices. SanDisk helped popularize flash memory products used in cameras, smartphones, laptops, and portable electronics. The company quickly became one of the most recognized names in memory storage technology. SanDisk went public in 1995 and expanded rapidly over the next two decades. In 2016, Western Digital acquired the company in a deal valued at about $16 billion. Mehrotra led the negotiations while serving as SanDisk’s chief executive officer. The acquisition cemented his reputation as one of the leading figures in the memory chip business.
A year after the SanDisk sale, Mehrotra became CEO of Micron Technology in 2017. At the time, Micron shares traded at roughly $30 each. Under Mehrotra’s leadership, Micron expanded aggressively as demand for semiconductor chips and memory products surged worldwide. The rise of artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and data centers created massive demand for high-performance memory chips. Micron became one of the biggest beneficiaries of the AI boom. Investors poured money into semiconductor companies tied to artificial intelligence infrastructure, helping drive Micron’s valuation higher.
The company recently crossed the $1 trillion market capitalization milestone, joining an elite group of global technology firms. Industry analysts say AI servers and advanced computing systems require powerful memory chips to process huge amounts of data quickly. Micron’s products now play a critical role in supporting that technology. The company’s rapid growth also boosted Mehrotra’s personal fortune. Forbes estimates the 67-year-old executive is worth about $1.2 billion, driven largely by Micron stock awards and his long career in the semiconductor sector.
