Intel Appoints Outsider Hotard to Head Crucial Data Center Unit

Intel Corp. appointed Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. executive Justin Hotard to head its data center and artificial intelligence group, bringing in an outsider to run a division crucial to the chipmaker’s turnaround efforts.

Hotard was responsible for HPE’s high-performance computing, AI and labs. At Intel, he’ll oversee some of the company’s most important products, including the Xeon server processors that were dominant in data centers, but have lost share to rival offerings and in-house efforts by customers. The former NCR and Motorola Inc. executive will also head up Intel’s efforts to cut into Nvidia Corp.’s lead in AI by overseeing its graphics and accelerator chip offerings, Intel said Wednesday in a statement.