IIT alumnus Pavan Davuluri to take charge of Microsoft Windows, Surface

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IIT Madras alumnus Pavan Davuluri who has been appointed new Microsoft Windows and Surface chief. (Photo: PTI)

Microsoft has appointed Pavan Davuluri, an alumnus of IIT Madras, as the new head of Microsoft Windows and Surface, according to a report by tech news portal The Verge. Reporting on an internal memo from Rajesh Jha, Microsoft’s head of experiences and devices, The Verge stated that Davuluri will lead the Surface silicon and devices work after Panos Panay’s surprise departure last year.


“This will enable us to take a holistic approach to building silicon, systems, experiences, and devices that span Windows client and cloud for this AI era,” Jha reportedly stated in the memo.


The memo also revealed that Mikhail Parakhin will lead a new team focused on Windows and web experiences. Previously, Parakhin held the position of chief executive officer of advertising and web services and has also worked on the Bing search engine and Edge browser.


Davuluri’s promotion, along with various reshufflings in the organisation, comes shortly after Microsoft announced the hiring of former DeepMind co-founder Mustafa Suleyman as the head of Microsoft AI.


Who is Pavan Davuluri?


Pavan Davuluri began his career at Microsoft as a Reliability Component Manager in 2001, following his graduation from IIT Madras and later earning a Master of Science degree from the University of Maryland in 1999. Davuluri has held various leadership positions at Microsoft over 23 years, including working on PC and Xbox hardware, Surface, and Windows.


In his most recent role as corporate vice president, Davuluri oversaw Windows Silicon and Systems Integration.


In his new role, Davuluri will lead a dedicated team that develops silicon systems for Microsoft’s Windows and Surface products.

First Published: Mar 27 2024 | 10:36 AM IST