Jim Keller is rumored to be working with Samsung on a new line of AI processors. The rumor was sparked by a keynote speech he made at the Samsung SAFE Forum last week. If true, he would be working with some of the most advanced node processes on the planet, such as Samsung’s 2 nm chips set to arrive in 2025.
At the Samsung Foundry Forum meeting a few days ago, Jim Keller gave a keynote speech, which sparked speculation that he would join Samsung and engage in more advanced AI processors.
Company | Title | Important Product | ||
1980s | 1998 | DEC | Architect | Alpha |
1998 | 1999 | AMD | Lead Architect | K7, K8v1 HyperTransport |
1999 | 2000 | SiByte | Chief Architect | MIPS Networking |
2000 | 2004 | Broadcom | Chief Architect | MIPS Networking |
2004 | 2008 | P.A. Semi | VP Engineering | Low Power Mobile |
2008 | 2012 | Apple | VP Engineering | A4 / A5 Mobile |
8/2012 | 9/2015 | AMD | Corp VP and Chief Cores Architect | Skybridge / K12 (+ Zen) |
1/2016 | 4/2018 | Tesla | VP Autopilot Hardware Engineering | Fully Self-Driving (FSD) Chip |
4/2018 | 6/2020 | Intel | Senior VP Silicon Engineering | ? |
2021 | Tenstorrent | President and CTO | TBD |
Keller is a celebrity in the semiconductor industry. He is credited as the father of AMD’s Zen architecture, although he jokingly calls himself one of the uncles. He also worked with Apple and Intel; there’s a rumor that he helped the latter develop a new processor called Royal Cove, slated for a 2024 release. In 2016, he joined Tesla to help develop a chip for the autonomous driving computing system. He is currently president and CTO of Tenstorrent Inc. He sat down with AnandTech recently for an in-depth review and explained his stake in the company.
The company itself is already many years old, but we’re building a new generation of parts and going to market and starting to sell stuff. I’m CTO and president, have a big stake in the company, both financially and also a commitment to my friends there, so I plan on being here for a while.
There has been no official word on any partnership with Samsung, but given his extensive history of contributing to so many companies and his increased interests in AI, it is probable. It would likely be some kind of contractual partnership versus him leaving Tenstorrent.
Sources: Baidu (via Chiphell). The Korea Economic Daily Edition, AnandTech