Intel’s ‘high performance CPU project’ tempts noted engineer out of retirement

Bolstered by Pat Gelsinger’s CEO appointment, Glenn Hinton is heading out of retirement and back to Intel.

Another Intel lifer is returning to the fold following the announcement of Pat Gelsinger’s appointment as CEO. Glenn Hinton, lead architecture of the Intel Nehalem architecture, is stepping out of retirement to return to the company for an “exciting highperformance CPU project.”

Hinton announced his return on LinkedIn, citing Pat Gelsinger’s return as Intel CEO in February as the final push to return to Intel after three years in retirement and having been considering the new role since November. Oh, and the promise of an upcoming CPU project from the chip company that appeals to Hinton’s sensibilities.

“If it wasn’t a fun project I wouldn’t have come back,” Hinton goes on to reply to a comment.

As lead architect for the Nehalem CPUs during a 35-year stint at Intel, Hinton previously oversaw Intel’s most significant and lasting architectural overhaul. That architecture formed the basis for the Core processor line-up still in operation today, and marked a major shift from Intel’s previous escapades attempting to reach high clock speeds with Pentium 4.

The architecture proved successful back when it launched in 2008, and continued success allowed Intel to maintain a steady lead in the CPU industry for most of the decade.