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<\/p>\nWith the hiring of Alex Katouzian, who was responsible for mounting a new challenge against Intel\u2019s PC dominance with Qualcomm\u2019s Snapdragon X Series chips, the company is turning to another outsider yet again for a key position and signaling new channel opportunities.<\/p>\n
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Intel said Monday that it has hired a top Qualcomm executive for a new position that will have him oversee the alignment of its long-running and critical PC business with the emerging field of physical AI, which its CEO has made a priority.<\/p>\n
With the hiring of Alex Katouzian, who was responsible for mounting a new challenge against Intel\u2019s PC dominance with Qualcomm\u2019s Snapdragon X Series chips, as executive vice president and general manager of the Client Computing Group, Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan is turning to another outsider yet again for a key leadership position.<\/p>\n
[Related: Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan: \u2018This Is A Fundamentally Different Company Today\u2019<\/a>]<\/strong><\/p>\n The company also named Pushkar Ranade, Tan\u2019s chief of staff, as Intel\u2019s CTO after he served in the role on an interim basis for the past few months.<\/p>\n Katouzian, who will join the chipmaker this month and report directly to Tan, will \u201calign Intel\u2019s client computing business with emerging physical AI systems that span robotics, autonomous machines and other AI devices,\u201d according to Intel.<\/p>\n \u201cAs discussed during our [first-quarter] earnings, we are now firmly in the AI conversation, and there are many new opportunities for us at the edge and across physical AI systems, including robotics, autonomous machines and other AI devices,\u201d wrote Tan in a Monday memo about Katouzian that was seen by CRN.<\/p>\n Intel Partner Sees \u2018A Lot Of Opportunity\u2019 For Channel With Physical AI<\/p>\n Christopher Cyr, CTO of North Sioux City, S.D.-based Intel systems integration partner Sterling Computers, told CRN that the hire makes sense given the chipmaker\u2019s increasing focus on reducing the power consumption of its chips, an area where Qualcomm has long been competitive. This is especially important considering Intel\u2019s belief that inference represents the bulk of AI opportunities in the future\u2014which include PCs and robots, not just servers.<\/p>\n This all adds up to new channel opportunities, particularly with respect to physical AI, according to Cyr, who noted that Intel already has a footprint in the robotics space.<\/p>\n \u201cI think there\u2019s a lot of opportunity for channel partners just dealing with physical AI because it is a solution of solutions,\u201d said Cyr, whose company won a North America partner award from Intel and was No. 54 on CRN\u2019s 2025 Solution Provider 500.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve got software, you\u2019ve got chipsets, then you have the industry, whether it\u2019s manufacturing, whether it\u2019s logistics, so I think there\u2019s a lot of opportunity for partners,\u201d the solution provider executive added.<\/p>\n \u201cPhysical AI\u201d is a term popularized by Nvidia to describe the use of autonomous systems, including cameras, robots and self-driving cars, to \u201cperceive, understand, reason and perform or orchestrate complex actions in the physical world,\u201d according to Nvidia.<\/p>\n Tan has called physical AI a strategic focus, and the company has already unveiled offerings in this area, including the Intel Robotics AI Suite, which is meant to add new capabilities to \u201cexisting x86 robotics deployments without expensive overhauls.\u201d<\/p>\n Katouzian Is The New Boss Of Intel\u2019s PC Business Leader<\/p>\n While an Intel spokesperson declined to provide more details about Katouzian\u2019s new organization, Tan\u2019s memo to staff said that Jim Johnson, the head of the company\u2019s long-running Client Computing Group business unit, and Mike Hurley, the head of the silicon and platform engineering group<\/a>, will report to Katouzian.<\/p>\n Johnson and Hurley were previously Tan\u2019s direct reports. Tan appointed Johnson, a 40-year Intel veteran, to lead the Client Computing Group last September<\/a>. Meanwhile, the CEO had made Hurley, a longtime engineering leader, a direct report earlier last year.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of Alex\u2019s top priorities will be to partner with these leaders and their business unit and platform and engineering teams to ensure we operate as a unified team\u2014leveraging our strengths to deliver for our customers and partners with greater speed and building on what we have today to grow the business for the next wave of AI growth,\u201d Tan wrote.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to thank Jim and Mike for their continued leadership, and I have full confidence in them and their teams as we sharpen our focus on execution and position Intel for long-term growth,\u201d the CEO added in the memo.<\/p>\n Katouzian Leaves Qualcomm As It Makes Another PC Channel Push<\/p>\n A 24-year Qualcomm veteran, Katouzian was most recently executive vice president and group general manager of the mobile, compute and mixed reality business unit, which put him in charge of expanding the company\u2019s Snapdragon chips in several segments.<\/p>\n This included the PC market, where Qualcomm has made a revitalized push with its Snapdragon X Series processors that debuted in 2024 as the exclusive launch chips for computers carrying Microsoft\u2019s Copilot PC+ brand.<\/p>\n While Qualcomm made early investments in a global partner program<\/a> to grow its Snapdragon PC business in the channel, those efforts faced a setback late last year when it lost two top channel leaders<\/a> who were hired from Apple to build the program.<\/p>\n The company has maintained that it remains committed to the channel and hired Jason Banta, the former head of AMD\u2019s CPU business with PC vendors, in February<\/a> to lead global compute sales, including commercial channel efforts.<\/p>\n Katouzian is joining Intel at a time when the chipmaker has been ramping up investments in the channel while simplifying its partner program amid other changes.<\/p>\n \u201cAt a time when Intel is making significant reductions in operating expenses so that we can deliver an even greater return to our shareholders, we\u2019ve continued to invest in the channel, and I think that will continue to be the case going forward as well,\u201d Intel Global Channel Chief Dave Guzzi told CRN an in February interview.<\/p>\n New CTO Will Focus On Emerging Areas Like Quantum Computing<\/p>\n With Ranade becoming Intel\u2019s permanent CTO after first taking on the role in December<\/a>, his responsibilities will include the advancement of its technology strategy, the oversight of special technology projects like the Terafab initiative with Elon Musk<\/a>, and the development of \u201ccritical emerging areas\u201d such as quantum computing, neuromorphic computing, photonics and novel materials, according to Tan\u2019s memo.<\/p>\n \u201cHe will also continue to serve as my chief of staff to accelerate the strong alignment between our technology strategy and business priorities,\u201d the CEO wrote to employees. \u201cI want to thank Pushkar for the strategic vision he has brought to Intel and his partnership with me and the entire leadership team.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With the hiring of Alex Katouzian, who was responsible for mounting a new challenge against Intel\u2019s PC 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