Born in rural North Carolina, Jacob A. Davis entered the U. S. Coast Guard after completing high school, was trained as an electronic technician, and rose to the rank of Chief Petty Officer. Davis came to Purdue to do graduate work and completed his MSEE in 1965 and his PhD in 1969.

In January 1969, he joined Harris Semiconductor and, after several engineering assignments, was named manager of research and development technical services. This department became the Manufacturing Department of the Special Products Division in 1973 and Davis became the manager. In 1978, he was promoted to director of engineering for the division; in 1980, he was named vice president of engineering for the Evolved Programs Division. In 1982, he became vice president and general manager of the Custom Integrated Circuits Division.

Active in community and academic activities, Davis is on the advisory board of the Florida Institute of Technology and the Electronic Materials Processing Center at North Carolina State University.