Intel said it plans to begin producing graphics processing units, marking a significant expansion beyond its traditional focus on central processing units as it seeks to regain momentum in the semiconductor market. CEO Lip-Bu Tan announced the move Tuesday at the Cisco AI Summit, describing GPUs as a critical technology for gaming and artificial intelligence workloads.
The effort will be overseen by Kevork Kechichian, executive vice president and general manager of Intel’s data center group, according to Reuters. Kechichian joined Intel in September as part of a broader push to strengthen the company’s engineering leadership. Intel also hired Eric Demers in January, a former Qualcomm executive with more than a decade of experience in chip engineering.
Tan said the GPU strategy is still in its early stages and will be shaped by customer demand. Nvidia currently holds a dominant position in the GPU market, driven by strong demand for its AI accelerators used in data centers and model training.
The announcement reflects a broader shift under Tan, who took over as CEO last year and has emphasized refocusing Intel’s product roadmap. While GPUs remain within Intel’s core semiconductor domain, the move represents a notable attempt to compete more directly in AI infrastructure.
