Samsung hires former AMD and Intel VP to boost Exynos performance

Samsung has been steadily improving its in-house chips over the past few years. Following setbacks like the Exynos 990 and the Exynos 2200, the South Korean firm implemented several measures to enhance the real-world performance of its chips used in Galaxy phones, tablets, and wearables. Now, the company has appointed an ex-VP of AMD and Intel to further boost Exynos chip performance.

Samsung Electronics has appointed John Rayfield as the Senior Vice President of the Advanced Computing Lab (ACL) division at Samsung Austin Research Centre (SARC). Rayfield joined Samsung two months ago and shared this news via a LinkedIn post. His previous roles include positions at AMD, Arm, Imagination Technologies, Intel, and NXP Semiconductors.

Most recently, Rayfield served as a Corporate Vice President at AMD in California, USA, where they collaborated with Microsoft to lead the launch of an artificial intelligence (AI) Copilot Plus PCs using Ryzen AI 300 series processors. Before that, they served as the Vice President of the Client AI and VPU IP divisions at Intel.

Rayfield's appointment is expected to enhance Samsung's in-house GPU development for future Exynos chips. The ACL team will also focus on SoC architecture, innovation System IP, and advanced R&D to deliver “meaningful real-world consumer technology experiences” for Samsung's upcoming products.