Peter Smith
⬤ Intel's Chief Technology and AI Officer Sachin Katti is leaving the company to join OpenAI, where he'll help build the compute infrastructure needed for artificial general intelligence. His departure comes as global policymakers push forward new tax proposals targeting high-growth digital and semiconductor companies. These proposals include higher digital-services taxes and revised cross-border compliance rules that could significantly impact investment decisions across the hardware and AI industries.
⬤ The proposed tax changes present immediate challenges for the AI ecosystem: increased operational costs, pressure on research budgets, and heightened bankruptcy risk for smaller firms that can't absorb the additional burden. Analysts warn that aggressive tax structures could accelerate the ongoing talent drain toward well-funded companies, particularly AI-native firms like OpenAI. For Intel, losing a senior AI strategist during a period of rising capital intensity, regulatory pressure, and global competition highlights the fragility of leadership continuity in an industry facing both policy and market strain.
⬤ The move underscores the competitive dynamics in AI, as Katti was part of Intel's core AI and networking leadership. OpenAI continues to attract top-tier engineering talent as it expands its AGI-oriented infrastructure, reinforcing the industry-wide race to secure specialists capable of building large-scale compute systems.
⬤ CEO Lip Bu Tan will now oversee Intel's AI and Advanced Technology groups, a leadership shift aimed at stabilizing operations during rapid technological and policy-driven change. As AGI compute capacity becomes a defining competitive frontier, Intel faces mounting pressure to maintain momentum while rivals intensify recruitment efforts and regulatory uncertainty reshapes the financial landscape.
Peter Smith
