Qualcomm Recruits Intel's Xeon Architect to Lead Server CPU Development

Sailesh Kottapalli, a 28-year Intel veteran, joins Qualcomm as Senior VP to spearhead its renewed push into the data center market.

Sailesh Kottapalli, former lead architect for Intel's Xeon processors, has been hired by Qualcomm to oversee its server CPU efforts.
Kottapalli's move comes after nearly three decades at Intel, where he contributed to major projects including x86, Itanium, and Xeon processors.
Qualcomm aims to re-enter the server CPU market using Nuvia's Arm-based Oryon cores, following its earlier Centriq effort that ended in 2018.
The growing adoption of Arm architecture in data centers, driven by players like Amazon's Graviton processors, positions Qualcomm to compete against x86 incumbents AMD and Intel.
Qualcomm's server CPU ambitions align with its broader strategy to diversify beyond mobile chips, leveraging expertise in Arm-based technologies.