QuantumScape names Siva Sivaram president

QuantumScape (QS) announced the appointment of Dr. Siva Sivaram, President of Western Digital Corp. (WDC) and a veteran of the semiconductor and data storage industries, to the newly created role of President. In this position, Dr. Sivaram will oversee QuantumScape’s technology and manufacturing groups as the company ramps up its transition from R&D to production. Just last week, QuantumScape announced it shipped updated prototype unit cells to automotive customers, locked in on the ~5 amp-hour QSE-5 cell as its target first commercial product, revealed it was working with a prospective launch customer on QSE-5, and completed equipment installation for its new fast separator production process. “We’re thrilled to have Siva join the team,” said QuantumScape CEO Jagdeep Singh. “There are very few people in the world who have run businesses with extremely high production volumes that also involve complex technologies and sophisticated manufacturing processes, and he is one of them. I’m delighted to work with him to help bring our vision to reality.”