Senior Intel CPU architects splinter to develop RISC-V processors — veterans establish AheadComputing

AheadComputing
(Image credit: AheadComputing)

While Intel is busy laying off thousands of employees some of its most experienced CPU architects, with a combined 80+ years at the firm, have left to form a RISC-V startup. AheadComputing was co-founded by Debbie Marr, Mark Dechene, Jonathan Pearce, and Srikanth Srinivasan, with the goal of “creating compelling open specification core IP.” This proactive move by the quartet of architects and engineers must be congratulated, as they founded AheadComputing and went public on July 18 – just a couple of weeks before Intel’s harsh workforce reduction plans were announced.

Everyone deserves a better website (Image credit: AheadComputing)

AheadComputing’s website is rather basic and threadbare at the time of writing, but it does contain a mission statement of sorts, some short bios detailing the ex-Intel co-founders, a single blog post (launch announcement), and a call for new recruits with experience in CPU design and verification roles.

As indicated above, the work of AheadComputing is going to begin with work on the RISC-V architecture. Specifically, the fledgling firm has set out with a plan “dedicated to designing, verifying, and licensing compelling RISC-V core IP.” For any deeper dive into the goings-on behind the doors of the new Oregon-based firm, you will have to chat with them directly or wait for further blogging. However, they will also meet with people during Happy Hour on Tuesdays, between 4 - 5:30 pm, at Cornelius Pass Roadhouse, Hillsboro…

(Image credit: AheadComputing)

The most compelling feature of AheadComputing is, for now, its co-founders, so let’s take a closer look at their resumes.

Co-founder, CEO, & President, Dr. Debbie Marr was an Intel Fellow and Chief Architect of the Advanced Architecture Development Group (AADG) at Intel and spent 33 years at the chipmaker on products spanning the i386 all up to the present day. A highlight of her career seems to have been bringing Intel Hyperthreading Technology from concept to finished product. Marr also authored over 40 patents in CPU, AI accelerators, and FPGA fields.

Co-Founder, Mark Dechene was an Intel Principal Engineer and CPU Architect in the Advanced Architecture Development Group. During his 16 years at Intel Dechene worked on architecture development for Intel CPU products including Haswell, Broadwell, Goldmont, Goldmont Plus, Tremont, and Skymont. Dechene has authored over 15 patents, focused on microprocessor performance.

Co-Founder, Jonathan Pearce was an Intel Principal Engineer, CPU Architect, and a key technologist & strategist in the Advanced Architecture Development Group until recently. Pearce worked for 22 years at Intel. During his career, Pearce has worked in both pre-silicon and post-silicon roles on multiple generations of Intel Core SOCs. He also authored 19 patents in the CPU, AI, and GPU fields.

Co-Founder, Dr. Srikanth Srinivasan has over 20 years of technical leadership experience in product R&D. At Intel he taped out some well-known chip designs like Nehalem, Haswell, and Broadwell. However, most recently, Srinivasan led the frontend and backend CPU teams at the Advanced Architecture Development Group at Intel. The highlight of his career / achievements so far is probably the authoring of more than a dozen highly cited papers and over 50 patents.

With its pedigree, surely we will hear about AheadComputing again, in the not-too-distant future. On the flip side, PC enthusiasts may rightly worry about the future of Intel when it has just instigated the most severe layoff plans in its 56-year history, some of its ambitious construction plans have come into question, and severe brain drain, as evidenced by this new RISC-V startup, could slow any chances of revival.

Mark Tyson
News Editor

Mark Tyson is a news editor at Tom's Hardware. He enjoys covering the full breadth of PC tech; from business and semiconductor design to products approaching the edge of reason.

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  • Alvar "Miles" Udell
    With its pedigree, surely we will hear about AheadComputing again, in the not-too-distant future.

    Probably Intel buying them.
    Reply
  • bit_user
    I'm getting deja vu from Apple's CPU architects forming Nuvia. That's probably responsible for the 2-3 generations' lull in new core microarchitecture improvements, following the A14/M1. Had Apple not allowed that to happen (i.e. given them cause to leave), it's crazy to think how much further along they might be.

    So, I wonder if we can expect a similar drought from Intel, in a few years. Or, maybe these folks were already hard at work on a RISC-V project at Intel and departed after receiving news of its cancellation.

    The article said:
    However, they will also meet with people during Happy Hour on Tuesdays, between 4 - 5:30 pm, at Cornelius Pass Roadhouse, Hillsboro…
    I hope they get a private room, because I'll bet there will be a few ears closely trained on them.
    Reply
  • NinoPino
    For sure this is good news for the IT world.

    I think Intel and AMD should quickly jump into the RiscV wagon to prevent loosing that train, I kindly hope they are already designing something now. It is only a matter of years before x86 will be throwing away from the notebook market, than from console market and subsequently from desktops. Server will resist more, but the end is coming.
    Reply
  • bit_user
    NinoPino said:
    I think Intel and AMD should quickly jump into the RiscV wagon to prevent loosing that train,
    AMD reportedly has ARM cores in the works. I think it's a lot easier to convert an ARM core to a RISC-V core than to build either of them from an x86 design.

    NinoPino said:
    It is only a matter of years before x86 will be throwing away from the notebook market, than from console market and subsequently from desktops. Server will resist more, but the end is coming.
    Server is where ARM has been making the biggest inroads, lately. If you leave Apple aside, ARM still hasn't taken much of the notebook market. Even a lot of Chromebooks are still Intel.

    So, if RISC-V follows that playbook, then they should focus on server, first.
    Reply
  • NinoPino
    bit_user said:
    AMD reportedly has ARM cores in the works. I think it's a lot easier to convert an ARM core to a RISC-V core than to build either of them from an x86 design.
    Ohhh, nice news. Also the use of ARM instead of RiscV could be a smart starting move that guarantee immediate access to an already mature software ecosystem.

    bit_user said:

    Server is where ARM has been making the biggest inroads, lately. If you leave Apple aside, ARM still hasn't taken much of the notebook market. Even a lot of Chromebooks are still Intel.

    So, if RISC-V follows that playbook, then they should focus on server, fifirst.
    Agree with you for cloud and new installations, but legacy x86 server market will be lucrative for many years, at least for hardware and software support reasons.
    Reply
  • JRStern
    Good for them.
    Intel should be fine, presuming they have fifty others with approximately the same skills, and maybe 20-30 years younger who will now move up. Getting rid of old folks, even who are still doing well, is a problem in big corps.
    It's not particularly rocket science any more, taking a RISC core and building up multicore chips with CODECs and NPUs and all that jazz, and maybe they have some good ideas, customers already booked.
    Heck, if RISC works, maybe they can branch back to x86 too.
    Reply
  • bit_user
    JRStern said:
    It's not particularly rocket science any more, taking a RISC core and building up multicore chips with CODECs and NPUs and all that jazz, and maybe they have some good ideas, customers already booked.
    Huh?? It's not like just anyone can design cores competitive at the cutting edge, you know? Not sure why you're talking about codecs and NPUs, either. Those have a place in the world, but they don't eliminate the need for good general-purpose CPU cores.

    That said, I doubt losing four heavyweights will be beyond Intel's ability to cope with. As you say, they should have deep talent pipelines. Assuming those haven't been depleted, I'd assume enough others can probably step up to keep the development pipeline filled.

    Then again, it's not as if Intel has been executing flawlessly. Most recently, Sapphire Rapids suffered about 1 year of schedule slip, due to a multitude of chip bugs, some of which (e.g. AMX-related) I'm sure were in the CPU cores designed by the AADG.

    JRStern said:
    Heck, if RISC works, maybe they can branch back to x86 too.
    That requires an x86 architecture license, which only Intel, AMD, and Via Technologies hold (for legacy reasons). I don't foresee Intel issuing them to anyone else.
    Reply
  • DavidC1
    JRStern said:
    Good for them.
    Intel should be fine, presuming they have fifty others with approximately the same skills, and maybe 20-30 years younger who will now move up. Getting rid of old folks, even who are still doing well, is a problem in big corps.
    What? Are you serious? You know you need deep knowledge and experience that only comes with time right? Things older people have? We're not talking 70s and 80s age people here.

    AADG is the group that's responsible for the "Royal Core" project that's been surfacing for a while. While some reading says the project itself hasn't been doing well, believe it when the first A in AADG is "Advanced". It was supposed to have radical concepts. Of course the performance increase was supposed to be radical as well with some saying Royal Core 1 aimed for 2x over Golden Cove(Alderlake/Raptorlake) per clock and Royal Core 2 aiming for 3x.

    Perhaps it was overly ambitious. But looking at the pedigree of engineers it's a not a small loss for Intel. They won't die overnight, but they are being picked apart piece by piece.

    I fear for the future of this company. Massive debt, degradation issue that affects 2 years worth of mainstream products which will break the bubble that's been keeping AMD at 20% client share, uncompetitive architectures.
    Reply
  • DS426
    RISC-V or not, IMO, AMD should take their lovely cash coffers and nab up some of these Intel veterans. Maybe Intel isn't even wrong from letting many of their six-figure folks go given their recent circumstances, but if so, AMD might as well capitalize on this. Moreover, if RISC is supposedly going to be the future of CPU computing, these seem like the folks to have on one's team to move that capability forward. Darnit, FFS, when someone has experiencing going back to 286/386/486, are you really going to let that walk away?

    No wonder startups with less than 1/10 the resources and free cash as the big boyz are able to do so much!
    Reply
  • Marco_il_bello
    Sorry, I read everything and it's very interesting but then I open their site and, I was incredulous that the text in the pages comes out and it's all crooked, if you press on the careers page the text comes out all out of the graphics, ok it's the content that matters but it seems strange to me that in 2024 this happens to people who are in the IT sector anyway.
    It also says that the company has been listed but I can't find anything at all on the stock exchange sites.
    I also think that, it can be interesting but I also think that intel has fired many people for its now inefficiency, maybe it fired those who made less money first? Or did he fire those who understood more than the others?

    How strange
    Reply