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Intel wants to poach new GPU engineers from AMD and Nvidia by promising LEGO

Intel has all the LEGO blocks necessary and now it just needs to pull engineering talent away from AMD and Intel

Raja Koduri wants games

Raja Koduri says that Intel has got all the right LEGO blocks to create the leading discrete graphics architecture of the future. But then he would say that as the promo video he’s talking in is designed to pull the best GPU engineering talent away from AMD and Nvidia and into Intel, in order to help push its discrete graphics initiative forward.

On the linked jobs page Intel also claims that: “unlike our competitors our engineers are empowered to innovate and propose cutting-edge features that ultimately make their way into our product line.”

Spicy. But to be honest, Raja had me at “it’s kind of like building a really complex LEGO structure,” which I guess means I’m eminently qualified. I have only the most rudimentary knowledge of creating a GPU, but I can build a LEGO TIE Fighter in my sleep.

New, reportedly reluctant, CEO Bob Swan also pops up to talk about the “unique opportunity” that Intel’s push into discrete graphics could mean for the company, anyone joining it, and potentially [movie trailer voice] the world.

The video has appeared on Intel’s twitter channel promoting its jobs pages for graphics engineers, with a link that points to form filling page where you can register your interest as a new hire for Intel. Fancy a move to Santa Clara? I guess it’s kinda near the ocean…

Despite Gregory Bryant suggesting that its intellectual property (IP) base is what’s been used to create its current integrated Gen graphics, and that “core IP base is what’s being developed and built on to get to discrete graphics,” Raja kicks off the video saying that “when it comes to discrete graphics, we will be starting off from zero.”

I mean, you keep telling people you’re going to have the Intel Xe graphics cards – for entry-level, mid-range, and enthusiast gamers – all ready for release next year, I hope right now you’re a little further on from ‘will be starting off from zero.’ There’s not long left until 2020 in graphics architecture creation terms, Raja…

GPU joy: These are the best graphics cards you can buy today

But the set of IP that Intel has at its disposal, and not just that used within its current integrated graphics cores, is what’s currently exciting him.

“Every day I find something cool and new that I want to pull in,” says Koduri. “As an engineer how do you build a product that delivers a particular function with all of this IP? It’s kind of like building a really complex LEGO structure. This is what the best engineers want to do and we have access to all of the right LEGO blocks in this company.”

Intel wants to hire the best engineers, and that’s what this is all about, poaching the best current and future GPU engineers before the likes of AMD and Nvidia get their hands on them. Or potentially even luring them away from the top two…