Qualcomm poaches Xeon chief architect to compete better with AMD and Intel in AI knowledge heart CPU market

• Qualcomm for the time being sells AI accelerator processors nonetheless has the CPU market in its sights
• Sailesh Kottapalli’s skills is in x86 structure, now not Arm
• But that didn’t stop Qualcomm from bringing him onboard to lead its knowledge heart team

Qualcomm, renowned for its Snapdragon processors powering industry smartphones and laptops around the globe, has made a potentially key rent because it appears to be like to be like to peril the likes of AMD and Intel within the processor market.

The corporate’s most modern coup is hiring Sailesh Kottapalli, a ancient chief architect for Xeon processors and a 28-one year Intel used.

Kottapalli joined Qualcomm as senior vp in early January 2025, bringing broad skills in designing excessive-performance x86 server chips.

Kottapalli’s scamper to Arm

Kottapalli wrote on LinkedIn that “the opportunity to innovate and grow while serving to to scale original frontiers was as soon as immensely compelling to me—a as soon as-in-a-career opportunity that I’d additionally now not scamper on.”

What makes the scamper vital, given Qualcomm’s reliance on Arm-based mostly designs, is Kottapalli’s skills in x86 structure. His management may maybe maybe perhaps additionally abet bridge the gap between Qualcomm’s present know-how and the stressful requirements of facts heart CPUs.

A renewed push for the tips heart

Qualcomm had retreated from server CPU pattern attend in 2018, nonetheless the company has now revealed plans to compose excessive-performance, vitality-efficient server recommendations tailored for knowledge heart capabilities.

This hasten began with its Snapdragon X sequence for PCs, featuring custom Arm-based mostly cores derived from its $1.4 billion acquisition of the startup Nuvia attend in 2021, that built to a upright crescendo in a Delaware court in December 2024 when Arm alleged that Qualcomm’s acquisition breached its licencing phrases. Though a federal jury sided with Qualcomm, Arm is looking out for a retrial.

For now, though, Qualcomm has been expanding its presence within the tips heart sector, with AI accelerator chips under the Qualcomm Cloud AI imprint supported by replace leaders fancy AWS, HPE, and Lenovo.

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Efosa has been writing about know-how for over 7 years, within the origin pushed by curiosity nonetheless now fueled by a sturdy ardour for the area. He holds each a Master’s and a PhD in sciences, which offered him with a sturdy foundation in analytical taking into consideration. Efosa developed a fervent interest in know-how protection, particularly exploring the intersection of privacy, security, and politics. His study delves into how technological advancements influence regulatory frameworks and societal norms, notably concerning knowledge protection and cybersecurity. Upon becoming a member of TechRadar Expert, in addition to to privacy and know-how protection, he’s additionally centered on B2B security products. Efosa may maybe maybe perhaps additionally very successfully be contacted at this electronic mail: udinmwenefosa@gmail.com