A high-level AMD executive tasked with managing lucrative relationships with console manufacturers has left the company.
According to Dow Jones Newswire, Bob Feldstein, who joined AMD when the company acquired graphics-chip maker ATI in 2006, is now VP of tech licensing at Nvidia.
Feldstein’s departure marks the latest lost for the struggling chipmaker, which has replaced the majority of its top management positions in recent months after appointing Rory Read CEO.
While at AMD, Feldstein reportedly managed to clinch a design win with Sony for the next-gen Playstation, which will apparently be powered by AMD microprocessors and graphics technology.
“Bob was the point guy for the console development world, and since AMD has at least the GPUs for all three next generation consoles, some CPUs too, you could say Bob is good at what he does. How AMD let him go is an open question, but we won’t comment on their HR choices of late,” Silicon Valley tech guru Charlie Demerjian wrote in a recent SemiAccurate post.
“[Still], if you think that one is bad, the loss of Ben Williams to Calxeda is quite possibly worse. Ben’s last position at AMD was Corporate VP and GM of APAC, and a corporate fellow, not exactly a lightweight position to have jump ship. He is one of the original Opteron guys and someone who knows the business inside and out. This too is not a loss to take lightly.”
Meanwhile, AMD spokesman Andrew Fox says Feldstein left the company on “amicable” terms.
“During his time with AMD, Bob built a model that positioned our graphics [intellectual property] and [chip] capabilities in new market segments,” he added.
AMD exec Saied Moshkelani will now oversee the corporation’s game console business. Arun Iyengar is responsible for helming the x86 Embedded Solutions Group, while the Boston Design Center is currently being led by AMD Senior Design Fellow Jim Farrell, an AMD veteran who is also responsible for setting technical direction for silicon technology.
