Intel poaches Qualcomm chip boss for IoT role

The president of Qualcomm’s chip unit has defected to Intel to run a new wider reaching business for its rival chip maker Intel. Meanwhile, as Qualcomm announced his successor, the two companies are offering different accounts for the transfer of one of the chip making industry’s most precious talents.

Dr. Venkata “Murthy” Renduchintala, former co-president of Qualcomm’s CDMA Technologies unit (QCT), is now to run a division for Intel called the Client and Internet of Things (IoT) Businesses and Systems Architecture Group. The post will encompass a variety of responsibilities, as the group combines a number of units within its umbrella, including the Platform Engineering, Client Computing, IoT, Software and Services and Design & Technology Solutions group.

“The calibre of leadership and experience Murthy brings to our executive team represents a significant move toward delivering the benefits of our strategy even faster than before,” said Intel CEO Brian Krzanich.

skills and decades of system-on-chip (SoC), mobile and IoT expertise,” says Intel.

While Intel’s Client Computing Group is Intel’s biggest earner the revenue from making chips for PCs is shrinking and Intel is looking for the data centre and IoT chip market to provide future growth. Renduchintala will lead developments in product design, engineering and business direction as the communications, device and IoT segments become crucial to Intel’s growth, it said.

Meanwhile, Qualcomm has announced 18 year company veteran and executive VP Cristiano Amon as the new president of its chip unit (QCT), ‘effective immediately’.

“Cristiano has been managing QCT’s product roadmap since 2008 – a period of unprecedented growth and innovation for Qualcomm and the industry. He is the right person to lead QCT for a new era of expansion in our semiconductor business,” said Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf.

According to a Qualcomm statement given to Business Insider, Renduchintala was more likely to have been pushed from Qualcomm rather than poached by Intel. “A few months ago we made the decision to move away from a co-president leadership structure for QCT. Cristiano Amon was the clear choice as President of the chipset business,” it said in a statement. Renduchintala was given a few months to consider his next move, it said.

“I am honoured to join the largest semiconductor company in the world,” countered Renduchintala in an Intel statement. “Bringing together the formidable talent into this new organization will enable Intel to progress in segments already at significant scale.”

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