Basant Khaitan
Feb. 2, 1947-June 15, 2024
Palo Alto, California
Submitted by Rayna Khaitan

Basant Khaitan February 2, 1947–June 15, 2024

Long-time Bay Area resident Basant Khaitan passed away on June 15, 2024.

Basant was a family man, caring immeasurably for his wife of 50 years, Kiran; his children, Rayna and Rishi, and their respective partners; his local extended family in San Ramon; and his many relatives across the US, Canada, and India. No matter the distance, Basant always kept in touch.

Basant was born in Calcutta on February 2, 1947, and was the eldest of four children born to Banwarilal and Rukmani Devi. From an early age, Basant took an avid interest in his studies, demonstrating a sharp arithmetic acuity.

He graduated from high school early, and earned his B.S. degree in electrical and communications engineering from one of the top schools in India, the Birla Institute of Technology. He was the first in his family to graduate from college.

With an eye toward advancement, Basant left his homeland for the first time and ventured to California where he earned his M.S. degree in electrical engineering and computer sciences from the University of California, Berkeley in 1971.

In January 1974, Basant married Kiran Bajaj. Together, they began on their journey, starting in an apartment in Santa Clara (where Basant had moved upon landing his first engineering job at National Semiconductor), enjoying getaway weekends throughout California, and growing accustomed to their newfound American lives.

Shortly after joining National Semiconductor, Basant and another recent graduate managed a huge feat: designing the Register and Arithmetic Logic chip that was the heart of the industry’s first 16-bit microprocessor. Basant went on to lead the design of an 8-bit microprocessor and the company’s first high-performance CMOS microprocessor family. He was awarded two patents in the fields of chip design and processor architecture.

In 1976, Basant and Kiran bought their first house in San Jose and welcomed their first child, Rayna, the following year. And, in February 1980, two years (and two houses later), they welcomed their second child, Rishi.

Upon establishing a strong engineering foothold, Basant took a management role at Gould/AMI, where he worked for six years overseeing the development of various microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), and related chip-level products.

While his career was important, Basant found time to hike and golf, help with his kids’ homework, enjoy family dinners and outings, and take vacations across the U.S. and India.

In 1985, Basant moved into a VP role at Hitachi Semiconductor (America), where he led a large team that developed DSPs, microcontrollers, memories, peripheral chips, and design automation software. Thirteen years after beginning his career, Basant had become integral to the engineering community and was respected by peers and superiors alike. Friends have noted that he was the only non-Japanese VP of engineering to work at a Japanese company.

In the late ‘80s, Basant and Kiran relocated the family to Palo Alto, seeking better schools and more serene surroundings. They purchased a lot in the foothills and worked hand in hand to build the perfect house.

In 1999, Basant co-founded vEngines, which was acquired two years later, marking another major accomplishment in his Silicon Valley story.

While Basant was passionate about technology, he showed an insatiable thirst for knowledge in many areas, including domestic and world affairs, astronomy, civil rights, sports, and economy and finance.

Basant was always ready to explore new things – cuisines and countries alike. In the months before his passing, he visited several national parks for the first time and enjoyed family vacations to Hawaii and Utah. His typical response to any suggestion was “let’s go.”

Occasionally, when recalling his childhood, Basant would mention that his birthday was easy to remember because his name means the beginning of spring in Hindi.

Basant was cremated on June 21, 2024, as spring gave way to summer. The seasons keep turning, but his family will never stop missing and loving him.

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