State of the Chips Address – January 20th, 2025
Delivered by Chat GPT as Jim Keller, incoming CEO of Intel Corporation
Good evening, colleagues, partners, and friends of Intel.
Before we begin, I want to take a moment to express my profound gratitude to Pat Gelsinger. Pat has led Intel through some of its most challenging years with integrity, resilience, and vision. His tireless efforts to steady the company have laid the foundation for the transformation we begin today. Pat, on behalf of the entire Intel team, thank you.
Intel is a name synonymous with the rise of computing. For decades, we’ve built the foundation of the digital age. But today, let’s face it—we are not the company we once were.
Our process technology, once the envy of the industry, has fallen behind. Our products, once the standard for innovation, now struggle to compete in a world that demands specialization. And culturally, we’ve let our past success make us insular and slow.
It’s time to fix that. Not through incremental change, but through bold, decisive action. Intel will lead again, and we will do it by embracing a new paradigm: Hexonic Computing.
1. Confronting the Core Issues
Before I talk about where we’re going, I want to be crystal clear about the challenges we face:
- Insular Thinking: We’ve been too focused on preserving our legacy rather than embracing the ecosystems of tomorrow. ARM, RISC-V—these aren’t threats. They’re opportunities we’ve been too slow to adopt.
- Execution Gaps: Too many delays, too many silos, and too little urgency have hurt our ability to deliver.
- Cultural Complacency: We’ve let ourselves believe that being Intel was enough. It’s not. We need to rebuild the hunger that made us great.
Acknowledging these issues is the first step. Solving them will require transformation—fast, focused, and fearless.
2. Turning Our Weakness Into Our Strength
Intel’s history is filled with both groundbreaking successes and painful missteps. One of the most glaring was our failure to lead in mobile.
The same cultural habits that caused us to miss mobile—our deep focus on process technology, our obsession with power and performance in isolation, and our reliance on the x86 architecture—left us blind to the opportunities mobile offered.
But here’s the twist: those cultural traits that hindered us in mobile now make us uniquely positioned to invent the Hexonic future.
- Focus on Process: While the mobile race required speed, Hexonic Computing demands precision and leadership in process technology. Our legacy of process expertise will let us deliver hexons optimized for the world’s most demanding workloads.
- Obsession with Power and Performance: In mobile, we were outmaneuvered by companies prioritizing efficiency. With hexons, power and performance are no longer opposing forces—they’re complementary. Hexons thrive in dynamic, energy-conscious environments, and Intel’s commitment to power efficiency is now a competitive advantage.
- Deep Architectural Expertise: The x86 architecture was once a limitation, but the flexibility and modularity of hexons free us from those constraints. Intel’s architectural know-how will allow us to define the standards for this new paradigm.
The lesson is this: what held us back in the past can propel us forward now—if we have the courage to embrace it.
3. The Hexonic Revolution: A Simple, Powerful Idea
Hexonic Computing is not just a new product—it’s a new way of thinking about computing itself.
Hexons are computational units that bridge hardware and software. They encapsulate inputs, outputs, state, and triggers in a single, unified framework.
Let me make this simple:
- Hexons are adaptable. They dynamically optimize for the task at hand, whether it’s AI, edge computing, or HPC.
- Hexons are scalable. From low-power devices to supercomputers, the same hexonic principles apply.
- Hexons are fast. They embrace the concurrency of hardware and the flexibility of software, unlocking new levels of performance.
What does this mean for Intel? It means reclaiming leadership in the areas that matter most:
- AI accelerators that adapt in real time.
- Edge devices that deliver intelligence with unmatched efficiency.
- High-performance computing systems that process data at speeds we could only dream of yesterday.
For more details on Hexonic Computing, visit intel.com/hexons.
4. Delivering Results: The First 100 Days
Transformation isn’t about words—it’s about action. Here’s what Intel will deliver in the next 100 days:
Hexon SDK in 90 Days
By April, developers will have access to the first tools for designing and simulating hexons. This SDK will include libraries for AI, edge, and HPC workloads, enabling partners to start building with us immediately. Learn more at intel.com/hexonsdk.
Prototype Chips and Partnerships
By July, Intel will demonstrate its first working hexonic processor. This isn’t just R&D—we’ll also open pre-orders for our first hexon-powered chips, with shipments beginning in January 2026.
Realigning Focus
To move fast, we must simplify:
- Exit Non-Core Markets: We will divest commodity SSDs, consumer drones, and other distractions, redirecting resources to fabs and hexonic architectures.
- Ecosystem Leadership: Intel will fully embrace RISC-V, integrating its flexibility with hexonic principles to build the open systems of tomorrow.
- Streamlined x86: x86 remains critical to our legacy markets, but our focus will shift to modular designs compatible with hexonic computing.
Reclaim Manufacturing Leadership
Our fabs will focus on producing the world’s first hexon-optimized chips, featuring reconfigurable pipelines and energy-efficient designs. And we’ll seek strategic partnerships to ensure scale and speed.
5. Cultural Transformation: Lead, Inspire, Deliver
At the heart of this transformation is a cultural shift. Intel’s legacy is one of boldness and innovation, and we will reignite that spirit.
Here’s how:
- Pride in Innovation: Intel isn’t just another tech company. We’re the foundation of the digital world, and it’s time to act like it.
- Customer Obsession: Everything we build will address real-world pain points—not theoretical problems.
- Open Collaboration: The days of isolation are over. Intel will lead through partnerships, co-creation, and open ecosystems.
As CEO, I will lead this transformation personally. You’ll see me on factory floors, in R&D labs, and with customers. This isn’t just Intel’s transformation—it’s mine, and I’m fully accountable for its success.
6. By This Time Next Year
Here’s what Intel will deliver by January 2026:
- Hexonic Chips in the Market: Shipping commercially viable hexon-powered processors for AI, edge, and HPC.
- Hexonic Ecosystem: A thriving community of developers using our SDK and tools to build the future.
- Fabs of the Future: A reinvented manufacturing process that reclaims Intel’s position as a leader in semiconductor technology.
7. A Call to Action
To Intel’s employees: This is your moment. The work we do now will define Intel’s legacy for the next century.
To our partners: Join us. Let’s build the hexonic ecosystem together and shape the future of computing.
To our shareholders: Trust the process. The tough decisions we’re making now will lay the foundation for growth and leadership.
Intel will matter again. The future of computing is hexonic, and we are building it—faster, smarter, and bolder than ever before.
Thank you. Let’s get to work.
Jim Keller
CEO, Intel Corporation
January 20th, 2025
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