Former AMD Lead Architect Jim Keller Joins Intel

Jim Keller to Lead Intel Silicon Engineering

Rumours of former AMD lead architect Jim Keller joining Intel were circulating early this week. Now, the chip giant has confirmed that Keller is indeed onboard as a new Senior VP. Specifically, he will lead the company’s silicon engineering, which encompasses system-on-chip (SoC) development and integration.

Keller is of course, most well-known for his work on the AMD K8 architecture. Most recently for AMD, his return in 2012 ushered in the Zen architecture. Restoring AMD’s competitiveness in the x86-64 market. After three years, Keller then left AMD in 2015. By January 2016, Keller joined Tesla as their Vice President of Autopilot Hardware Engineering.

This is obviously a big loss for Tesla, considering they hired him even before announcing that they are working on their own AI chip. His departure will undoubtedly affect them. While he was with Tesla, he is responsible for low-voltage hardware, autopilot software and infotainment. According to a Tesla spokesperson, Keller joining Intel means he can work again on his original passion of microprocessor engineering.

What Does This Mean for Intel?

Joining fellow AMD alum Raja Koduri, Keller will be working on bringing the next generation processors. Both Koduri and Keller also worked at Apple and should be able to bring new life into Intel’s core properties. Their contributions and expertise will be especially useful as processors move more and more into integration. Especially since Intel’s core technologies have been palpably stagnant for the past few years.

Intel spending money on getting top talent and bringing together a core team that has a proven track record is a wise investment. It is likely that Keller and Koduri are not the only familiar names being brought on board, and that we will see more in the next few weeks.

Keller will start in his new position on April 30, 2018.