# Jerome Paye

> Jerome Paye is the CEO of TAU Systems, an Austin-based deep-tech company shrinking mile-long particle accelerators down to the size of a shipping container. A physicist by training and a program-management operator by trade, he spent two decades launching Ford Mustangs, steering Renault's early electric-vehicle work, and running opposed-piston engine programs at Achates Power before joining a startup that wants to accelerate electrons to 10 GeV over 10 centimeters of plasma - and, along the way, replace the EUV light source at the heart of modern chipmaking.

- **Role:** Chief Executive Officer at TAU Systems
- **Organizations:** TAU Systems, Achates Power, Renault, Ford, French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA)
- **Nationality:** French
- **Education:** BS in engineering, MS in solid-state physics, PhD in physics, École Polytechnique (France), Postdoctoral research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Joint manufacturing and business master's degree, University of Michigan
- **Known for:** Leads TAU Systems, developer of the first commercial compact laser-plasma particle accelerators, Helped raise a total of roughly $35M for TAU Systems, including a $15M seed (2022) and a $20M round (2025), Guided TAU Systems' expansion from Austin HQ into TAU Labs in Carlsbad, California

## Career timeline

- **1990s-2000s** — Engineer and program manager at Ford; program management leader for the Mustang and launch leader for the 2005 Mustang convertible
- **2000s** — Pre-program engineering deputy director for electric vehicles at Renault SAS, leading early EV product development with Nissan and global partners
- **2010** — Joined Achates Power, eventually serving as Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer overseeing opposed-piston engine programs with global OEMs
- **2022** — Joined TAU Systems as Chief Operating Officer shortly after the company's founding and $15M seed round
- **2023** — TAU Systems signs lease in Carlsbad, California to establish TAU Labs, a laser plasma accelerator application center
- **2025** — Named Chief Executive Officer of TAU Systems; company closes a further $20M funding round
- **2026** — Publicly positions TAU Systems as a contender to replace ASML's EUV light source with compact X-ray lasers

## Achievements

- Leads TAU Systems, developer of the first commercial compact laser-plasma particle accelerators
- Helped raise a total of roughly $35M for TAU Systems, including a $15M seed (2022) and a $20M round (2025)
- Guided TAU Systems' expansion from Austin HQ into TAU Labs in Carlsbad, California
- Previously served as EVP & COO of Achates Power, an opposed-piston engine developer
- Launched the 2005 Ford Mustang convertible as launch leader
- Led early electric-vehicle product development at Renault in partnership with Nissan

## Latest updates

- **2026-02** — Positioned TAU Systems publicly as a contender to challenge ASML's EUV source technology for chip lithography
- **2025-03** — TAU Systems closed a further ~$20M funding round; Paye elevated to CEO

## Links

- Website: https://www.tausystems.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerome-paye-09177213/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/TauSystems
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TAU_Systems
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tausystems_/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/jerome-paye
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-01