Raja M. Koduri currently serves as the executive vice president and chief architect at Intel, where he’s tasked with growing the company’s efforts in graphics and accelerating high-priority technical programs, but it looks like he’s finally grown tired of the job. According to a tweet from Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger, Koduri, who originally joined Intel in 2017 to develop what would eventually become the Arc series of discrete GPUs, is set to leave the company at the end of March for a software startup. Critics of Intel’s Arc GPUs have made a habit of blaming Koduri for their supposed shortcomings, which are said to include performance issues with certain games, but Gelsinger’s statements would suggest that Koduri’s leave has nothing to do with his work performance.
From a Pat Gelsinger tweet:
On a bittersweet note, saying farewell to @Randhir_Intel and @RajaXg, both leaving Intel at the end of March.
Thank you @RajaXg for your many contributions to Intel tech & architecture-especially w/high-performance graphics that helped bring 3 new product lines to market in ‘22. Wishing you success as you create a new software co. around generative AI for gaming, media & entertainment.
From a Raja Koduri tweet:
Thank you Pat and @intel for many cherished memories and incredible learning over the past 5 years. Will be embarking on a new chapter in my life, doing a software startup as noted [above]. Will have more to share in coming weeks.
From an Intel biography:
Koduri previously served as general manager of the Accelerated Computing Systems and Graphics Group, where he led a business unit chartered with delivering high performance computing and graphics solutions for integrated and discrete segments across client, enterprise and data center. He also led the creation and execution of Xe, oneAPI, and other key hardware and software technologies critical to high performance computing and graphics.
A respected innovator and visionary, Koduri has devoted his career to advancing visual and accelerated computing across a range of platforms, including PCs, game consoles, professional workstations and consumer devices. Before joining Intel in 2017, he was senior vice president and chief architect of the Radeon Technologies Group at Advanced Micro Devices Inc. Koduri led the group and had overall responsibility for the graphics technologies used in AMD’s accelerated processing unit (APU), discrete GPU, semi-custom and GPU computing products.
From 2009 to 2013, Koduri served as director of graphics architecture at Apple Inc. During his tenure there, he helped establish a leading graphics subsystem for the company’s Macintosh product family and led the transition to Apple’s Retina displays. Earlier in his career, Koduri held various graphics leadership roles at AMD and ATI Technologies Inc., which included spearheading GPU performance initiatives in hardware and software, creating a GPU computing ecosystem and contributing to graphics product features. He initially joined AMD in 2001.
Koduri holds a bachelor’s degree in electronics and communications from Andhra University and a master’s degree in electronics and communications from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, both in India. He serves as chief technical adviser to the board of directors for Makuta VFX, an award-winning visual effects and animation company.
He lives in California with his family.
Thank you Pat and @intel for many cherished memories and incredible learning over the past 5 years. Will be embarking on a new chapter in my life, doing a software startup as noted below. Will have more to share in coming weeks. https://t.co/8DcnNdso3r
— Raja Koduri (Bali Makaradhwaja) (@RajaXg) March 21, 2023
Discussion (5 replies)
Join Discussion →Hmm.
I think this was inevitable. Since Intel pulled the gaming and compute cards back into the same division, you could see Raja's exit in the cards. This could also be a precursor to Intel pulling the gaming cards entirely out of their discrete card stack, since they are in a major cost-cutting move.
Surprising thing - Intel cards are actually doing better than I thought they would be: mostly because nVidia and AMD have been happy to leave the Sub-$300 market all to Intel, which is a ~huge~ market. I think if either of the Big 2 decided they wanted to stop dorking around with the high margin top end cards and get back to volume production, Intel might be in trouble... but so far they haven't seemed to show any interest in it.
I could see Intel pulling an IBM and splitting off the discreet cards division into it's own entity to sink or swim.
Yeah, the writing was on the wall for him to leave. I'd hoped he'd be able to stick it out to see the DGPUs get a stronger foothold but I guess it wasn't meant to happen. I remember reading something a while back on his social media page where he posted how back injuries and pain had really begun to slow him down in the last couple of years. I don't remember much else about that except that it was affecting him greatly with all the travel he had to do with the job.
It wouldn't be the worst thing that could happen. If they at least provide support to the division for marketing, distributorship, and a manufacturing pipeline that could be enough to keep them on their feet short term.
I forgot to mention yesterday, only remembered after getting home last night, that in those same social media posts he had stated part ownership in a startup in India (I think). I'm wondering if this will somehow tie into that. He could be working on creating a larger enterprise with multiple ventures.