Thursday, June 11th 2020

Jim Keller Resigns from Intel

Intel today announced that systems designer-extraordinaire Jim Keller has departed the company citing personal reasons. Whether or not this is a blow to Intel likely depends on how far Jim Keller brought their Technology, Systems Architecture and Client Group throughout his two-year tenure at the company whilst serving as its Vice President. The semiconductor and chip architecture world isn't being driven by Mr. Keller himself, obviously; there are a number of architects and designers that bring the industry forward through their concerted efforts. However, it's hard to look past Jim Keller's pedigree when it comes to doing his job - if anything, AMD's Zen architecture is a testament to that, and has put Intel in the place we now see it in the CPU world.

To fill in the void, Intel has announced a reshuffling inside their Technology, Systems Architecture and Client Group. Jim Keller will still be serving with Intel for the next six months as a consultant, thus easing the transition. Read the full press-release below.
Today, Intel announced that Jim Keller has resigned effective June 11, 2020, due to personal reasons. Intel appreciates Mr. Keller's work over the past two years helping them continue advancing Intel's product leadership and they wish him and his family all the best for the future. Intel is pleased to announce, however, that Mr. Keller has agreed to serve as a consultant for six months to assist with the transition.

Intel has a vastly experienced team of technical leaders within its Technology, Systems Architecture and Client Group (TSCG) under the leadership of Dr. Venkata (Murthy) Renduchintala, group president of TSCG and chief engineering officer. As part of this transition, the following leadership changes will be made, effective immediately:

Sundari Mitra, the former CEO and founder of NetSpeed Systems and the current leader of Intel's Configurable Intellectual Property and Chassis Group, will lead a newly created IP Engineering Group focused on developing best-in-class IP.
Gene Scuteri, an accomplished engineering leader in the semiconductor industry, will head the Xeon and Networking Engineering Group.
Daaman Hejmadi will return to leading the Client Engineering Group focused on system-on-chip (SoC) execution and designing next-generation client, device and chipset products. Hejmadi has over two decades of experience leading teams delivering advanced SoCs both inside and outside of Intel.
Navid Shahriari, an experienced Intel leader, will continue to lead the Manufacturing and Product Engineering Group, which is focused on delivering comprehensive pre-production test suites and component debug capabilities to enable high-quality, high-volume manufacturing.
Intel congratulates Sundari, Gene, Daaman and Navid as we begin the next phase of our world-class engineering organization and look forward to executing on our exciting roadmap of products.
Source: Intel
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114 Comments on Jim Keller Resigns from Intel

#26
RH92
ImoutoWouldn't be a consultant for the next six months if that was the case.
That means nothing ! Very probably just a contract obligation in order to make sure he can't straight away join another company and reveal critical information .
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#27
timta2
I would like to say that I'm shocked by the ignorance in this thread, but I'm really not. I'm not sure what happened to this site.
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#28
mechtech
dyonoctisJim Keller seems to have a very "my job here is done" thing going on. I noticed that he never stick around once he's done his part in cpu design.
Most people like him (true engineers/scientists/designers/etc.) are like that, they are looking for the next next challenge to work on, not which company to work for.
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#29
moproblems99
timta2I would like to say that I'm shocked by the ignorance in this thread, but I'm really not. I'm not sure what happened to this site.
Honestly, it's a global problem. If you want proof, just read the news.
Posted on Reply
#30
mechtech
ToxicTaZI personally was boosting about Jim Keller here in the forums like a mad man quite a bit.... Now he's gone.....what a shame.... ☹

I noticed people haven't been talking about his project he was working on for the last 26 months....?

Jim Keller was working on In "Ocean Cove" cores design update for future Intel Meteor Lake which is Intel's first 7nm+ CPUs....

If people don't know Ocean Cove is Intel biggest CPU update coming in two years so very quite important project for Intel and for us consumers.

I wonder how far he's gotten in the Ocean Cove project?....are CPU lines done two years before store shelves?.... I mean they test them in super computers before factory production...not sure how long that process is.... But maybe Ocean Cove is done by this Christmas? I mean just the design part??
Just out of curiosity were you doing the same while he was AMD, Apple, Tesla, PA Semi, etc. etc. ?
Posted on Reply
#31
RandallFlagg
ARFHe left AMD quite a while (actually a year and a half) before March 2017 when Ryzen 1000 was launched. I think he left once the Zen design work had been largely completed and the colleagues knew how to develop it further to Zen 2, Zen 3, etc..
From September 2015 to today, June 2020, is 5 years, not 2 years.
That is his pattern, he's done that pretty much everywhere. He starts the projects and gets them moving, then leaves. The product comes out 1-2 years later. Whatever he's done at Intel, we likely won't see it for another 12-24 months.
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#32
ToxicTaZ
mechtechJust out of curiosity were you doing the same while he was AMD, Apple, Tesla, PA Semi, etc. etc. ?
No...I only followed his career since April 2018 at the same time AMD Ryzen started to really take off....with his career seems to Blossom wherever he goes and giving Intel future Ryzen like fame... But I guess we won't know anything until Ocean Cove project on store shelves in two in a half years time and then people and reviews say anything...

I'm sure some lucky company will pick him up in the year to come.
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#33
watzupken
Caring1Or he gave up trying to change Intel because they are too set in their ways.
Lisa Su was at least amenable.
I think this could be one of the reasons. I feel he probably had quite a fair bit of authority when it comes to making decisions in the CPU department at AMD. Not too sure if he gets that kind of treatment at Intel considering its a big company with many in there likely wanting to outdo him.
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#34
DrCR
I haven't paid hardly any attention to Via in forever, but if they could a afford it, it would be really neat to see the results of Jim Keller working there for a few years and the result being fabbed at TSMC.
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#35
ToxicTaZ
DrCRI haven't paid hardly any attention to Via in forever, but if they could a afford it, it would be really neat to see the results of Jim Keller working there for a few years and the result being fabbed at TSMC.
Jim Keller
Are you talking about Ryzen Zen 2 (7nm) from TSMC or Intel future Meteor Lake "Ocean Cove" on (7nm+) project he just leaving?... That's not till Q4 2022 or later...
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#36
comtek
He's tremendous engineer. But I feel he is overrated and getting status of what I call Celebrity Engineer. I believe there are many engineers out there much better than him but don't get luxury of recognition and fame he's getting.
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#37
DrCR
ToxicTaZAre you talking about Ryzen Zen 2 (7nm) from TSMC or Intel future Meteor Lake "Ocean Cove" on (7nm+) project he just leaving?
I'm confused. How are those related to Via?
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#38
ToxicTaZ
DrCRI'm confused. How are those related to Via?
Now I'm really confused please explain your Via...and TSMC
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#39
sergionography
thesmokingmanTwo years is kind of short to turn out a new architecture or to even fix their silicon engineering failures. He could have finished his job there but I doubt it. At Tesla he helped build their industry leading neural processor, at AMD Zen architecture. At Intel... don't see much has changed?
That's probably why he is leaving. Intel is huge and, cluttered, and fragmented. You have a gazillion different mini teams working at different things at a time. So at companies like that, it's hard for one individual to shine or make much difference.
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#40
Prima.Vera
Wait. I thought he resigned to go work for Apple. That's what I've read not so long ago....
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#41
Regeneration
NGOHQ.COM
Intel's work environment is soulless corporate. 5000% pure business.

Jim Keller seems to have a colorful personality, he seems to change workplaces often. Now that's a bad match.

Creative minds need freedom and space that hard to come by in the corporate world.
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#42
ador250
Apple recently announced that they will ditch intel and make their own processor for high performance devices. Well, Keller might go in Apple again.
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#43
londiste
RandallFlaggThat is his pattern, he's done that pretty much everywhere. He starts the projects and gets them moving, then leaves. The product comes out 1-2 years later. Whatever he's done at Intel, we likely won't see it for another 12-24 months.
This. Discarding the Celebrity Engineer status here for a moment, he is project-driven and seems to generally complete what he aims to do. This does not necessarily mean we see a product based on the work he or his team has done before he leaves the project.

For example, he left AMD in 2015. He was known to be working on both K12 and Zen, with the first not materializing and Zen was detailed and shown almost a year later and officially released a year and a half after he had left.
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#44
1d10t


I thought Intel would be last company he would join, but Jim Keller still Jim Keller :laugh:
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#45
Scrizz
ToxicTaZNow I'm really confused please explain your Via...and TSMC
Via is a semiconductor company. They used to be more prevalent in the client space before... just like Matrox. :/
RegenerationIntel's work environment is soulless corporate. 5000% pure business.

Jim Keller seems to have a colorful personality, he seems to change workplaces often. Now that's a bad match.

Creative minds need freedom and space that hard to come by in the corporate world.
now that's some ignorant BS
watzupkenI think this could be one of the reasons. I feel he probably had quite a fair bit of authority when it comes to making decisions in the CPU department at AMD. Not too sure if he gets that kind of treatment at Intel considering its a big company with many in there likely wanting to outdo him.
He was a Vice President... I don't know how much more voice you can get lol
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#46
laszlo
i think he finished the job ,like he do at amd ...tesla; nothing to do there anymore and moved forward to a new challenge
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#47
ratirt
Maybe he is just retired. Skipped all the drama with the CPU designs and headaches, finally decided to live somewhere nice, he's got cash and now can just enjoy life :)
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#48
Jermelescu
comtekHe's tremendous engineer. But I feel he is overrated and getting status of what I call Celebrity Engineer. I believe there are many engineers out there much better than him but don't get luxury of recognition and fame he's getting.
Sure, there may be someone better than him, but if you'd listen to him in his interviews, he's an extremely down to Earth guy.
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#49
Assimilator
FourstaffGiven the past trends, does this mean Intel will have an amazing chip in a couple of years time? He does have a history of leaving just before the launch of amazing chips.
Intel's problems are process node, not uArch. Skylake still has higher IPC than any iteration of Zen, if Intel hadn't stumbled so badly with 10nm there is little chance AMD would be having the success it is.
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#50
Imsochobo
AssimilatorIntel's problems are process node, not uArch. Skylake still has higher IPC than any iteration of Zen, if Intel hadn't stumbled so badly with 10nm there is little chance AMD would be having the success it is.
ehm, skylake has lower ipc than zen2.. I don't think you know what ipc means ?
Posted on Reply
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