Intel announced that it will change its leadership with the appointment of Pat Gelsinger as its new CEO. Gelsinger, a 40-year technology industry veteran, will also join Intel’s board of directors when he officially steps into the role that is currently filled by Robert Swan on February 15, 2021.
Intel was drawn to Gelsinger's significant technology and engineering expertise, which will be used to shepherd the company through a period of transformation from a CPU to a multi-architecture XPU company.
In a press release, Independent Board Chairman Omar Ishrak stated, “Pat is a proven technology leader with a distinguished track record of innovation, talent development, and a deep knowledge of Intel. He will continue a values-based cultural leadership approach with a hyper focus on operational execution.”
Gelsinger is no stranger to Intel as he started his career at the company and held various positions at the chipmaker over 30 years, including a stint as its Chief Technology Officer. Most recently, he served as the CEO of VMware, where he transformed the company into a global leader in cloud infrastructure, enterprise mobility, and cybersecurity. Before joining VMware in 2012, Gelsinger was the President and Chief Operating Officer of EMC Information Infrastructure Products at EMC, which was acquired by Dell in 2015.
“I believe Intel has significant potential to continue to reshape the future of technology and look forward to working with the incredibly talented global Intel team to accelerate innovation and create value for our customers and shareholders,” Gelsinger stated.
Intel will need Gelsinger’s seasoned leadership to get it back on track as its laptop chip business is increasingly coming under pressure from longtime rivals and new entrants. Just this week, fierce rival Qualcomm announced its $1.4 billion acquisition of chip startup Nuvia, with plans to integrate its chip tech into laptop processors as well as a host of other applications. Additionally, Intel’s longtime business with Apple is winding down as the tech giant switches to its own silicon for its lineup of laptops.
