Legendary CPU architect Jim Keller leaves AMD

CAT-THE-FIFTH · 19 Sep 2015 at 19:19

When he left Apple they didn't even announce a possible successor for two and a half months:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6129/apple-a4a5-designer-k8-lead-architect-jim-keller-returns-to-amd
https://mobile.twitter.com/krewell/status/256501777627742208

Apple CPU was rubbish,he left since it was rubbish Apple - CPUs are doomed...oh wait!

That was years before his work was seen in the latest Apple cores.

He first joined AMD in 1998 and left AMD by the end of 1999 barely by the time the original Athlon launched and at least three years before the Athlon 64.

He spend three years at AMD which was more than double his original stint at the company.

He has a history of leaving companies within three to four years at most to move onto new projects.

ALXAndy · 19 Sep 2015 at 19:41

CAT-THE-FIFTH said:
He has a history of leaving companies within three to four years at most to move onto new projects.

Mercedes ask me to design them a car. I say yes, I go on the payroll. I then design that car, get it made out of clay and finalise it.

Why in the name of god would you continue to pay me after that? Why pay me until it actually comes out? why would I care, given that I've spent the last year or two seeing nothing else.

It actually stuns me just how ridiculously unintelligent some people are.

Rroff · 19 Sep 2015 at 19:45

Depends - companies will pay a lot to hold onto talent and/or some people want to work for a specific company they feel best fitted for their talent, others will work on a more contract basis or follow what drives them.

ALXAndy · 19 Sep 2015 at 19:48

Rroff said:
Depends - companies will pay a lot to hold onto talent and/or some people want to work for a specific company they feel best fitted for their talent, others will work on a more contract basis or follow what drives them.

If I needed a decorator to decorate my living room I would not pay him to sit around in it afterwards.

Rroff · 19 Sep 2015 at 19:51

Yeah but you are hardly going to be concerned about the decorator then going and working for the competition...

drunkenmaster · 19 Sep 2015 at 20:15

Rroff said:
Depends - companies will pay a lot to hold onto talent and/or some people want to work for a specific company they feel best fitted for their talent, others will work on a more contract basis or follow what drives them.

Yes but the best designers get to choose who they work for and as such dictate terms. IE, if the only way to get Keller is give him a time frame and a contract to design and tape out a specific architecture then you have to agree to his terms or not get him.

In demand people get to work however the hell they want. If I was him I'd do the same, you could frankly decide to work for a couple years, get an outrageous salary then take a couple years off, then go back and work on something else.

Designing an architecture from scratch is going to be way more interesting job wise than refreshing that same architecture year on year.

Orangey · 19 Sep 2015 at 20:33

But a painter and decorator already told us it's no different than his job and he goes where the money is.

How can you argue with such logic? :confused:

/banter

trisp · 19 Sep 2015 at 22:09

Whatever happens with him leaving i just hope amd become a viable choice in the future intel having no comp is not good for anyone.

Sumanji · 20 Sep 2015 at 04:05

Question; if this dude is so in demand, why haven't Intel tried to poach him?

FoxEye · 20 Sep 2015 at 12:40

ALXAndy said:
If I needed a decorator to decorate my living room I would not pay him to sit around in it afterwards.

I'm afraid there are very few parallels between AMD - continually involved in R&D and processor design - and an individual wanting a single room in their house decorated.

So few, in fact, that your earlier attack on the general intelligence of the posters in this thread is now highly amusing. Glass houses and all.

Orangey · 20 Sep 2015 at 16:02

Sumanji said:
Question; if this dude is so in demand, why haven't Intel tried to poach him?

How do you know they haven't?

Besides, every time he's popped up somewhere it's been for something interesting/game changing. All Intel do is put out the same crap over and over lately.

drunkenmaster · 20 Sep 2015 at 16:59

Sumanji said:
Question; if this dude is so in demand, why haven't Intel tried to poach him?

Apple didn't have their own CPU architecture, they had to find a chip architect to design one for them. They were in the market for one. AMD wanted to design a new chip and fired the previous guy, they were in the market for one. Intel have a chip architect... they weren't obviously in the market for one. They will look for them but have less need.

Intel likely didn't desperately need a new lead guy, they may not be happy with someone on a shorter term contract, they may think their guys are better(and they may well be). Just because Intel can pay more doesn't mean they will or believe he's worth it. AMD and Apple had more immediate need and would likely offer more money.

ALXAndy · 20 Sep 2015 at 19:35

Sumanji said:
Question; if this dude is so in demand, why haven't Intel tried to poach him?

Because looking at statistics it's quite obvious they don't need him.

Mercutio · 20 Sep 2015 at 19:45

My height of craziness on the overclocking was an AMD Barton cored 2500+. Chip cost me £65, ran at 1.83ghz, I'd pushed it past 3 under phase change (vapochill PE I'd modded into a chieftec dragon case) making it something like a 5000+. Ran like that day and night without skipping a beat for 9 months then flat out died

Intel domination is getting expensive, I'd certainly like to see some competition. It's almost time for 128bit computing Jim, if you're listening

opethdisciple · 20 Sep 2015 at 23:33

I was only trolling.

I'm actually going to be buying an FX CPU soon for my Linux VM box.

Orangey · 21 Sep 2015 at 09:58

I'd compare these guys to the old masters of the Renaissance.

If you go to Westminster Abbey and view Henry VII's tomb, the guy who made it was the only one in the world who could handle the work at the time.

AMDJoe · 21 Sep 2015 at 10:11

Zen remains on track so Keller's departure won't affect anything. We're in the completion phase of Zen atm.

Here's an interesting article about Zen from over the weekend.

Suzanne Plummer, the veteran Austin chip engineer who heads the Zen team, exudes confidence about the project.

“It is the first time in a very long time that we engineers have been given the total freedom to build a processor from scratch and do the best we can do,” Plummer said. “It is a multi-year project with a really large team. It’s like a marathon effort with some sprints in the middle. The team is working very hard, but they can see the finish line. I guarantee that it will deliver a huge improvement in performance and (low) power consumption over the previous generation.”

subbytna · 21 Sep 2015 at 10:15

Nelly said:
Source

Attempting to allay any fears over the impact of Keller's departure, the company adds that "Jim helped establish a strong leadership team that is well positioned for success as we enter the completion phase of the “Zen” core and associated system IP and SoCs."

Am I the only one that reads that as Super Over Clock...every time?

mmj_uk · 21 Sep 2015 at 11:18

ALXAndy said:
Mercedes ask me to design them a car. I say yes, I go on the payroll. I then design that car, get it made out of clay and finalise it.

Why in the name of god would you continue to pay me after that? Why pay me until it actually comes out? why would I care, given that I've spent the last year or two seeing nothing else.

It actually stuns me just how ridiculously unintelligent some people are.

Companies generally hold onto their best assets if they can, they'd continue to pay you so that you don't then take what you've learned to BMW and design them a better one making theirs unattractive to the market.

Perhaps if Keller had stayed at AMD we wouldn't have had Faildozer and AMD wouldn't be teetering on the brink, ya think?

Rroff · 21 Sep 2015 at 11:26

drunkenmaster said:
Intel likely didn't desperately need a new lead guy, they may not be happy with someone on a shorter term contract, they may think their guys are better(and they may well be). Just because Intel can pay more doesn't mean they will or believe he's worth it. AMD and Apple had more immediate need and would likely offer more money.

And some people just like the challenge and/or breaking new ground and would rather work for the under dog or new start ups.