Intel Announces Major Leadership Shakeup, Unveils New Central Engineering Group and Key Hires for Custom Silicon Business

Intel, a leading semiconductor company, has undergone significant changes in its senior leadership since the appointment of Lip-Bu Tan as CEO in March.

On Monday, the company announced that Michelle Johnston Holthaus will be leaving after more than three decades of service. Holthaus, previously the chief executive officer of Intel products, will continue to serve as a strategic adviser.

Intel also unveiled the establishment of a central engineering group aimed at creating a new custom silicon business for external clients. This group will be headed by Srinivasan “Srini” Iyengar, who joined Intel from Cadence Design Systems in July.

Additionally, Kevok Kechichian, formerly of ARM, has been appointed to lead the data center group, while Jim Johnson takes on the role of senior vice president and general manager of Intel’s client computing group. Naga Chandrasekaran, the chief technology and operations officer of Intel Foundry—a business unit that builds custom chips for external clients—will also assume an expanded role.

In a company press release, Tan stated, “With Srini leading Central Engineering, we are 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.”

Recently, the U.S. government announced plans to convert existing government grants into a 10% stake in Intel. The deal includes penalties for Intel if the company drops below 50% ownership of its foundry unit.

These leadership changes are not limited to recent events. Tan’s appointment as CEO in March and the subsequent hiring of four new employees for sales and engineering roles, including Greg Ernst as Intel’s chief revenue officer, are also notable shifts within the company.

Intel did not respond to requests for comment.