WSJ: Ex-AMD exec Koduri joins Drebin at Apple

Raja Koduri, CTO of the graphics product group at AMD, has left the company to take an unspecified position at Apple, according to a new report. Citing people familiar with Apple’s plans, the Wall Street Journal reports that Koduri started work this week, and will help the iPod maker design multifunction chips for use in the iPhone, iPod touch, and other yet-unannounced mobile devices. The report suggests the chips may offer drastic reductions in power consumption and may also offer graphics circuitry to help play more realistic games and high-definition videos, although the chips aren’t expected to emerge in shipping products until next year at the earliest. Word of Koduri’s arrival comes only days after it was revealed that Bob Drebin, also a former CTO at AMD and veteran console graphics engineer, had joined Apple; the report suggests that the company is still trying to fill dozens of chip-related positions.