In a major move within the artificial intelligence industry, Intel Head of AI Sachin Katti has resigned from the semiconductor giant to take up a new position at OpenAI, where he will focus on advancing the company’s compute infrastructure.

Intel confirmed Katti’s departure in a statement on Monday, noting that Chief Executive Officer Lip-Bu Tan will assume his responsibilities as the company’s Chief Technology and AI Officer.

“AI remains one of Intel’s highest strategic priorities, and we are focused on executing our technology and product roadmap across emerging AI workloads,” Intel said in the statement.

OpenAI President and Co-founder Greg Brockman also shared the news on social media, welcoming Katti to the team and noting that he will be working “on designing and building our compute infrastructure.”

Katti had been promoted earlier this year to lead Intel’s artificial intelligence strategy, a role that positioned him at the forefront of the company’s push to compete in the AI hardware space. Intel has been working to close the gap with Nvidia, whose GPUs dominate the AI chip market.

For OpenAI, Katti’s addition comes at a critical time as the company continues to expand its infrastructure to power its growing suite of AI products, including ChatGPT and its enterprise offerings. The AI startup has been making multibillion-dollar investments in computing hardware to support increasingly large and complex models.

OpenAI is also reportedly planning to develop its own custom chips — a move that could reduce its reliance on suppliers like Nvidia. Katti’s hardware expertise could play a central role in that effort.

Intel, meanwhile, continues to emphasize AI as a cornerstone of its future strategy, even as it faces challenges in the fast-moving semiconductor market. The company said it remains committed to executing its roadmap across emerging AI workloads and accelerating innovation in hardware and software.

Katti’s transition marks another significant shift in the global AI talent landscape, as top executives and engineers are increasingly moving between major tech companies, driving the AI revolution.