Intel named Venkata “Murthy” Renduchintala to head a newly-created Client and IoT Business and Systems Architecture Group, a unit that brings together its PC chips, mobile and IoT products.

Renduchintala joins Intel from Qualcomm, where he was “responsible for leading Qualcomm’s semiconductor business in the computing, mobile and adjacent segments”. The new unit is said to bring together Intel’s platform engineering, client computing, IoT, software and services, and design and technology solutions groups.

Computerworld said that the new hire will “effectively become the number-two executive at Intel”, under Brian Krzanich, its CEO.

In an investor meeting last week, Intel described IoT as one of its expected “growth engines”, while its core client computing activity “delivers healthy profits and critical intellectual property to the rest of Intel”.

However, the company still struggles in mobile, where it has been overshadowed by rivals such as Qualcomm and MediaTek.

While it has been looking to improve its profitability in this sector, it has already folded its mobile activities into the client computing group –and thus concealing its financials.

Qualcomm
For all its strength in the mobile market, Qualcomm has not been without its own struggles. With an activist shareholder on its back, it has announced a restructure with significant job losses, and is also considering options including a split of the company’s chip and licensing businesses.

In line with the Intel statement, Qualcomm said that Cristiano Amon had taken up the role of EVP and president of Qualcomm CDMA Technologies, having been managing its product roadmap since 2008 – “a period of unprecedented growth and innovation for Qualcomm and the industry”.

The Wall Street Journal said that having decided that Amon would be sole head of QCT (it previously had two co-presidents), Renduchintala was offered another role within Qualcomm, but decided to leave instead.