Dive Brief:
- Archana (Archie) Deskus, former SVP and CIO at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, will join Intel beginning Jan. 30 as the chipmaker's SVP and CIO, the company announced Monday. Deskus will report to the company's Chief Financial Officer George Davis.
- Deskus, who previously held senior leadership roles at companies such as Carrier, Ingersoll Rand and Baker Hughes, is replacing former Intel CIO Paula Tolliver, who stepped down in September 2019 after three years in the role.
- Intel CEO Bob Swan said the CIO role is "critical" to the company as it seeks to leverage data for its customers and as part of its internal operations. Deskus joins Intel at a time of transformation and increased focus in data analytics and artificial intelligence.
Dive Insight:
AI capabilities will determine companies' long-term sustainability. For Intel, its strategy depends on its ability to capitalize on AI interest.
It's an opportunity Intel can't afford to miss. Despite it's historic expertise and trust as a manufacturer, the chipmaker failed to fully capitalize on the boom of mobile processing. In the summer of 2017, Samsung hit a major milestone and surpassed Intel in chip sale revenue, a category Intel had led industry in for over two decades.
Through acquisitions and internal R&D, Intel is pushing for market dominance in the technology that powers AI. At the end of 2019, the company announced a $2 billion acquisition deal to acquire Israeli AI chipmaker Habana Labs among its ranks.
It also acquired AI technology companies Nervana Systems and Movidius as part of a push to split the focus of the company between the legacy PC chip business and new markets such as AI chips and the cloud.
It's in this context that Deskus, in her new role, will need to balance the company's priorities. Keeping the engines running while powering innovation is key to CIOs striving for success amid transformation.