Intel is undergoing a major leadership reshuffle as CEO Lip-Bu Tan pushes the company’s transformation forward. Michelle Johnston Holthaus, who spent over 30 years at Intel and most recently led its products division, is stepping down but will remain as a strategic adviser.
The company has launched a new central engineering division focused on custom silicon for external clients, led by Srinivasan “Srini” Iyengar, who joined from Cadence Design Systems in July. Kevork Kechichian, formerly of ARM, will head the data centre group, while Jim Johnson takes charge of the client computing segment.
Naga Chandrasekaran, Intel Foundry’s chief technology and operations officer, is expanding his role to help grow Intel’s contract chip manufacturing business.
“With Srini leading Central Engineering, we’re aligning innovation and execution more tightly in service to customers. We are laser-focused on delivering world-class products and empowering our engineering teams to move faster and execute with excellence. Kevork, Jim, and Srini are exceptional leaders whose deep technical acumen and industry relationships will be instrumental as we continue building a new Intel,” Tan said.
These changes follow a U.S. government move converting earlier semiconductor grants into a 10% stake in Intel, with restrictions to prevent Intel selling its foundry unit if ownership falls below 50%. Intel has also strengthened its sales and engineering leadership with hires such as Greg Ernst, named chief revenue officer in July.
With the semiconductor industry facing supply challenges and geopolitical pressures, Intel is sharpening its focus on custom silicon and foundry services to maintain its competitive edge.