Diane Bryant, one of Intel’s top execs, is stepping back from her duties for at least the next six months, according to an email sent by Intel chief executive Brian Krzanich.
Navin Shenoy, senior vice president and general manager for the Intel (INTC) Client Computing Group (CCG), will step in as general manager of the unit while Bryant attends to an undisclosed personal matter.
“Given the extended duration, an interim leader for the Data Center Group (DCG) is not possible,” Krzanich wrote.
Bryant, president of Intel’s Data Center Group, is one of Intel’s most high-profile execs and the highest-ranked woman since Renee James stepped down as president two years ago. She is regular speaker at tech industry events, where she pushes the use of Intel (INTC) technology in data center servers and other gear. She was also on Coins2Day‘s Most Powerful Women list for 2016.
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At Intel, Bryant led a highly strategic effort to push the chip giant beyond the PC chips that fed its growth for decades. Intel faces new challenges amid the age of cloud computing as tons of processing power is aggregated in massive data centers run by Amazon (AMZN), Facebook (FB), Google (GOOG), and Microsoft (MSFT).
Related: Intel Shakes Up Ranks in the Face of Falling PC Sales
While Intel works with those companies to ensure it makes server chips to suit their needs, all of those software giants also have the resources to explore their own chip design. Google, for example, appears to be getting into the chip business.
Related: Intel Misses Revenue Estimates on Data Center Weakness
With Shenoy taking on Bryant’s duties, another Intel exec, Murthy Renduchintala, will be lead the Client Computing Group on an interim basis. Krzanich said Shenoy and Bryant will work together over the next month to ensure a smooth transition.
Editors Note: (May 3, 2017 4:47 p.m.) This story was updated to note that Shenoy’s new job leading the Data Server Group is not an interim appointment.
