As Intel continues its efforts to turn the company around, CEO Lip-Bu Tan has promised that Intel will start producing a new type of chip, one made very popular by rival Nvidia. At the Cisco AI Summit on Tuesday, Tan announced that Intel will begin manufacturing graphics processing units, or GPUs. These are more specialized processors compared to the traditional CPUs Intel is known for, and they are critical for gaming and tasks like training artificial intelligence models.
The project will be overseen by Kevork Kechichian, the executive vice president and general manager of Intel’s data center group. Kechichian was hired in September as part of a wave of new engineer-focused hires. Intel also brought on Eric Demers for this initiative in January. Demers previously spent over 13 years at Qualcomm, most recently serving as a senior vice president of engineering.
This initiative appears to be in relatively early stages. Tan stated that the company plans to develop its strategy based on customer demands and needs.
While Nvidia did not invent the GPU, this specific chip has been central to its success. Nvidia’s GPUs for AI systems are so advanced and popular that the company currently holds a commanding lead in the market.
It is interesting to see Intel expand into this area now. When Tan took over as CEO last March, he said the company would be consolidating and focusing on its core businesses. Although GPUs are still semiconductors, this move represents a notable expansion for the company.