Raja Koduri, the man who has headed up AMD's Radeon Technology Group graphics department offshoot since 2015, has announced that his currently ongoing sabbatical from the company would continue indefinitely. In short, he's leaving his post at AMD.
"Forty is a significant number in history. It is a number representing transition, testing and change," he said in a memo to fans. "I have just spent forty days away from the office going through such a transition. It was an important time with my family, and it also offered me a rare space for reflection. During this time I have come to the extremely difficult conclusion that it is time for me to leave RTG and AMD."
This was a somewhat surprising move. Although he had been away from the company for an extended period of time -- who wouldn't love a 40-day vacation now and again -- he was very much expected to return in December. Some have suggested that his departure might be related to the recent partnering of AMD and Intel on discrete graphics, potentially even moving to Intel.
Could it be also that Vega's relative failings meant he had to go?
That's all speculation for now, as Koduri merely stated in his final address that he was happy with the direction AMD was going and believed new technologies like Vega and the upcoming Navi would continue to push graphics at the company to new heights.
Koduri also made a point of thanking AMD staffers who helped him to implement the changes he wanted to make at the company while there. He also praised the remaining leadership heads at AMD, suggesting they would continue to do a good job of keeping the company on the course over the years to come.
For AMD's part, it merely wished him well, but put on a front of business-as-usual, as Hexus explains. No word yet on a replacement for Koduri's key position.
Image source: AMD
