Stuart Pann in for IFS, Raja Koduri out for GPUs

In a mix of a press launch and collection of tweets from CEO Pat Gelsinger, Intel this afternoon has introduced a pair of great company management modifications on the firm, which is able to affect each their Intel Foundry Companies (IFS) and graphics/accelerator enterprise segments. In short, IFS is getting new management, whereas Intel GPU guru and chief architect Raja Koduri is leaving the corporate for brand new pastures.

Firstly, Intel at this time is saying in a press release that they’ve promoted Stuart Pann to be the brand new senior VP and basic supervisor of Intel Foundry Companies. Pann replaces Dr. Randhir Thakur, who was IFS’s inaugural president. Thakur announced late last year that he was stepping down from the place and leaving Intel on the finish of March, so now we have been anticipating Intel to nominate a brand new IFS head earlier than the month was out.

Pann, in flip, is a long-serving Intel worker with a historical past inside and out of doors of the corporate, most lately returning to Intel in 2021 to function senior VP, chief enterprise transformation officer and basic supervisor of Intel’s Company Planning Group. Intel credit him with being one of many chief organizers behind Intel’s IDM 2.0 technique – in addition to Intel’s inner foundry mannequin – which in flip are among the many main causes for establishing IFS.

Pann’s background is, broadly talking, on the enterprise aspect of issues. whereas he holds an EE diploma, his time at Intel has been spent in enterprise administration and company planning, slightly than working inside Intel’s fab group itself. This can be a notable change from Dr. Thakur, who had an intensive background in fab engineering earlier than shifting into his management function. With that mentioned, on condition that IFS’s success will hinge, partially, on having the ability to entice exterior prospects (and never simply growing superior fab applied sciences inside the firm), it’s not wholly stunning to see Intel appoint a extra business-experienced chief for the rising fab enterprise.

Intel Graphics Guru Raja Koduri Leaves for AI Software program Startup

Apart from Dr. Thakur’s beforehand organized departure from Intel, it seems the corporate will see one different main management change. As first revealed in a tweet from CEO Pat Gelsinger, Raja Koduri shall be leaving Intel on the finish of the month. A well known title within the graphics enterprise for many years, Koduri has most lately been serving as a chief architect for Intel’s GPU/accelerator companies, and previous to that was the GM of Intel’s Accelerated Computing Programs and Graphics Group (AXG).

Thanks @RajaXg to your many contributions to Intel tech & architecture-especially w/high-performance graphics that helped carry 3 new product strains to market in ‘22. Wishing you success as you create a brand new software program co. round generative AI for gaming, media & leisure.

— Pat Gelsinger (@PGelsinger) March 21, 2023

Koduri joined Intel in 2017 (coming from AMD), and has been the cornerstone of Intel’s fashionable efforts to develop its GPU and accelerator companies. Apart from the varied flavors of Intel’s Xe graphics structure and ensuing merchandise just like the Knowledge Middle GPU Max collection (Ponte Vecchio) and Arc A-series video playing cards, Koduri has additionally overseen the simultaneous growth of Intel’s oneAPI software program stack, which is designed to supply a well-crafted software program growth platform for Intel’s GPUs whereas additionally unifying Intel’s total software program growth efforts behind a single, unified API and toolset (actually, one API).

Whereas Intel remains to be working to higher set up its footing inside the GPU area, the AXG enterprise unit itself has undergone some modifications, which in flip have impacted Koduri’s place inside the firm. Koduri was the top of AXG up till December of 2022, when Intel introduced that it might be splitting up AXG into separate consumer and datacenter/AI groups, which in flip had been positioned underneath Intel’s Shopper Computing Group and Dataceter and AI Group respectively. Following that cut up, Koduri returned to serving as Intel’s chief architect for GPUs, accelerators, and their convergence with Intel’s conventional CPU merchandise.

In line with a tweet printed by Koduri in response to Gelsinger’s preliminary announcement, Raja has introduced that he shall be shifting on to a software program startup specializing in generative AI for gaming, media, and leisure. Koduri says that he “could have extra to share in coming weeks,” however at a excessive degree, this definitely appears like a great match for somebody so steeped in to laptop graphics and AI.

Thanks Pat and @intel for a lot of cherished reminiscences and unimaginable studying over the previous 5 years. Will probably be embarking on a brand new chapter in my life, doing a software program startup as famous beneath. Could have extra to share in coming weeks. https://t.co/8DcnNdso3r

— Raja Koduri (Bali Makaradhwaja) (@RajaXg) March 21, 2023

Nonetheless, will probably be attention-grabbing to see what sort of affect this has on Intel’s GPU and accelerator efforts. Raja Koduri has been a driving drive for Intel’s GPU efforts for the final 6 years, leaving a large impression on their efforts in each the buyer and datacenter areas. Intel is about to have a chart-topping, exascale-class GPU-based supercomputer to their credit score with the almost completed Aurora system, and Intel’s discrete GPU shipments for customers are already inside closing distance of AMD’s. All of which come from tasks overseen by Koduri.

On the similar time, nonetheless, Koduri’s departure comes at a turbulence for Intel’s GPU efforts. Apart from final yr’s reorganization, Intel cancelled Rialto Bridge, their Ponte Vecchio successor, earlier this month. That cancellation set again Intel’s information heart GPU follow-up plans by about 2 years, as their subsequent product will now be Falcon Shores in 2025. So 2023 is proving to be a time of nice transition for Intel, each with regard to their product stack and their GPU management.