OpenAI Strikes Again, Intel’s AI Head Joins the ChatGPT Movement

The semiconductor industry has always operated on a simple assumption. The company that builds the best chips attracts the best engineers. Intel has bet billions on this principle, investing in process technology, manufacturing, and now, artificial intelligence. Less than eight months after Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan appointed Sachin Katti to the dual role of Chief Technology Officer and Chief AI Officer, the Stanford-educated engineer announced his departure for OpenAI.

Katti joins OpenAI as the company advances its massive bet on infrastructure for artificial general intelligence research. OpenAI President Greg Brockman said he is "incredibly excited" to work with Katti on "designing and building our compute infrastructure, which will power our AGI research."

For OpenAI, Katti represents exactly what the company needs at a critical moment. Deep expertise in networking, edge computing, and systems architecture. On social media, he described it as a "privilege of a lifetime," but for Intel, his departure causes a crisis that no amount of restructuring can solve.​

Katti's exit comes at a particularly painful moment for Intel's turnaround efforts. When Tan took over as CEO in March 2025, he faced a semiconductor company bleeding talent and losing relevance in the AI chip market. One of his first major moves was restructuring Intel's leadership hierarchy, flattening it to accelerate decision-making and creating what he hoped would be a renewed focus on engineering excellence.​