AMD Hires iPad Chip Designer Jim Keller

In a move that may help Advanced Micro Devices gain a foothold in the tablet computer market, the company has hired Jim Keller as its new corporate vice president and chief architect of microprocessor cores. Mr. Keller previously worked at Apple where he served as on the platform architecture team responsible for developing the processors used in the iPhone, iPad and Apple TV.

AMD hires Jim Keller away from AppleAMD hires Jim Keller away from Apple

“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 Mark Papermaster, AMD’s chief technology officer and senior vice president of technology and engineering. Mr. Papermaster is a former Apple alum, too, having left the company after iPhone 4 antenna issues ran like wildfire through the news.

Mr. Keller previously worked for PA Semi, but became part of Apple’s design team when the iPhone and iPad maker bought the chip design firm in 2008. He also worked for AMD years ago and was part of the design team for the Athlon 64 and Opteron 64 processor lines, and is regarded as a brilliant chip designer.