Chipmaker AMD announced today that jim keller, a director in the platform architecture group at Apple, has joined the company.jim keller joined apple in 2008. Keller spearheaded the development of Apple’s custom mobile processors — including the A4 in the iPhone 4, the A5 in the iPhone 4S and iPad 2, and the A5X in the new iPad — all of which have managed to keep Apple’s mobile devices on the cutting edge. His departure could be a big loss for Apple, which desperately needs smart chip designers to keep pace with the rapid evolution of mobile processors.
It will be interesting to see if Keller’s exit will have any impact on the CPU design process over at Apple. Meanwhile, the folks at AMD are delighted to have him on board. Mark Papermaster, CTO and Senior Vice President of Technology and Engineering at AMD, and also the man Keller will be reporting to in his new role said, “Jim is one of the most widely respected and sought-after innovators in the industry and a very strong addition to our engineering team.”
“He has contributed to processing innovations that have delivered tremendous compute advances for millions of people all over the world, and we expect that his innovative spirit, low-power design expertise, creativity and drive for success will help us shape our future and fuel our growth.”
“Jim is one of the most widely respected and sought-after innovators in the industry and a very strong addition to our engineering team,” said Papermaster.
AMD has been struggling off-late with poor results and loss of key personnel. Keller’s arrival should bring some cheer to a place desperately in search of good news.
