While Apple has hired a number of AMD engineers in the past few years to help them design the custom chips used in the iPhone and iPad, today AMD took one back. But they didn’t poach just anyone – they grabbed Jim Keller – the director of Apple’s mobile processor group!
AMD made the announcement in a press release issued earlier today (via AllThingsD), dwelling on Keller’s accomplishments:
“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. “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.”
Keller previously worked for P.A. Semi, where he led a team in creating an integrated networking “system on a chip” before the company was acquired by Apple in 2008. He has been working on Apple’s mobile processors ever since.
Considering that AMD has been struggling in the processor business lately, and has lost a lot of important employees, the company no doubt views hiring Keller as a major win.
