AMD's chief technology officer resigns
Chip maker Advanced Micro Devices Inc. said Friday Phil Hester, its chief technology officer and vice president, is resigning.Hester, 52, joined the Sunnyvale-based company (NYSE:AMD) in 2005 after spending more than 20 years with IBM Corp. (NYSE: IBM).
Hester's resignation comes as the chip maker struggles with tough competition from Santa Clara-based Intel Corp. (Nasdaq: INTC) and delays in the launch of new products.
The company said it doesn't plan to replace Hester. However, spokesman Gary Silcott said Monday that AMD had chief technology officers overseeing five business units: Mark Bapst, responsible for handheld; Mike Goddard, client; Samir Hulyalkar, digital television; Raja Koduri, graphics; and Rich Oehler, server.
Last week week AMD said it would cut its work force by 10 percent and announced a bigger drop than expected drop in first quarter revenue.
The Albany, N.Y., area is following developments at AMD closely. The chip maker announced plans to build a $3.2 billion chip plant in Luther Forest Technology Campus in Saratoga County. It has until July 2009 to commit to the project and receive $1.2 billion in state incentives.
Last week, AMD officials said the job cuts would have no impact on the Luther Forest project. AMD executives say the company will need around 1,465 employees at the plant, named Fab 4x, 260 more than first thought.