Intel officially becomes a contract custom chip designer, Nvidia among lead customers — company veteran Srini Iyengar to spearhead new Central Engineering Group

Intel has taken significant steps to establish itself as a contract chip designer by appointing an executive to lead its custom silicon business and securing a multi-year contract with Nvidia to build custom Xeon CPUs for AI platforms. The company has a history of offering semi-custom Xeon processors to hyperscalers and large AI/data center customers. Intel aims to expand its custom CPU offerings with customizable cores and IP. Srini Iyengar, a company veteran, will lead Intel's Central Engineering Group to drive its custom silicon business. The move reflects the growing demand for bespoke application-specific processors across various industries, with companies like Apple, Google, and automotive manufacturers investing in custom chips.