[News] Intel Names New Leaders from Cadence, Apple, and Google to Take on NVIDIA

Intel announces a series of leadership appointments on June 18, tapping industry veterans who previously held roles at Cadence, Apple, and Google, according to Bloomberg. Srinivasan Iyengar, Jean-Didier Allegrucci, and Shailendra Desai are joining the company in key engineering leadership positions, as stated in its press release. Additionally, Greg Ernst—a seasoned sales executive with over 20 years at Intel—has been named Chief Revenue Officer.

Bloomberg notes that the leadership shakeup is part of CEO Lip-Bu Tan’s broader turnaround strategy, aimed at rebuilding Intel’s engineering strength. Tan has emphasized the need for the company to deliver better products that more effectively meet customer needs.

Notably, GuruFocus highlights that one of Intel’s most urgent challenges lies in revitalizing its AI chip business, where it has fallen behind rivals such as NVIDIA.

To address this, GuruFocus notes that Intel’s new appointments bring specialized expertise to its AI efforts. Iyengar—formerly at Cadence—will serve as Senior Vice President and lead the newly established Customer Engineering Center of Excellence. Allegrucci, who previously worked at startup Rain AI and Apple, will head AI SoC engineering, while Desai, a former Google executive, will lead AI GPU development—marking a direct challenge to NVIDIA as Intel seeks to regain ground in the competitive AI chip market.

According to Reuters, Iyengar will report directly to CEO Lip-Bu Tan, while Allegrucci and Desai will report to Sachin Katti, Intel’s Chief Technology and AI Officer.

Reuters also mentions that Intel has reshuffled its board to increase its focus on the chip industry. Three board members did not stand for reelection at the company’s 2025 annual meeting.

Intel Reportedly Streamlines Leadership and Plans Major Workforce Cuts

In April—just one month after Lip-Bu Tan assumed the CEO role—Intel initiated its first major organizational changes. According to a memo reviewed by Reuters, Intel’s data center and AI chip groups, along with its PC chip division, will now report directly to Tan. The move reflects his intent to streamline Intel’s layered management structure, which he sees as a major bottleneck to faster decision-making.

Meanwhile, OregonLive notes that while Intel has hinted at job cuts starting in July, an internal memo now indicates that up to 20% of its factory workforce could be affected—targeting the core of its chip manufacturing operations.

Read more

• [News] Intel’s Rumored July Layoffs May Slash 15-20% of Factory Jobs, Oregon Hit Hardest
• [News] Intel Exec Out Amid Streamlining Push: Data Center and Public Sector Sales Heads Reportedly Exit

(Photo credit: Intel)