Intel’s chief executive of products departs among other leadership changes

In a significant leadership overhaul, Intel is making waves in its executive ranks following Lip-Bu Tan's appointment as CEO in March. The semiconductor giant revealed on Monday that Michelle Johnston Holthaus, who has dedicated over thirty years to the company, will be stepping down from her role as chief executive officer of Intel products, although she will continue to serve as a strategic adviser. The company has also announced the formation of a new central engineering group aimed at developing custom silicon solutions for external clients. This initiative will be led by Srinivasan "Srini" Iyengar, who joined Intel from Cadence Design Systems just a few months ago in July. In addition to these changes, Intel is welcoming Kevok Kechichian, formerly associated with ARM, to head its data center group. Furthermore, Jim Johnson has been appointed as the senior vice president and general manager of the client computing group. Naga Chandrasekaran, who oversees Intel Foundry's technology and operations, is also set to expand his responsibilities. CEO Tan emphasized the importance of aligning innovation with execution in a recent press release, stating, "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." This leadership shake-up comes shortly after the U.S. government revealed plans to convert existing grants into a 10% stake in Intel, which includes conditions that would penalize the company if it reduces its ownership of the foundry unit to below 50%. The changes at Intel are not limited to this recent announcement; since Tan's transition to CEO, the company has made several strategic hires, including four new additions to sales and engineering roles, with Greg Ernst stepping in as chief revenue officer. Intel has opted not to comment on these developments.