{{short description|Computer engineer}} {{Family name hatnote|Koduri|lang=Telugu}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2019}} {{Infobox person | name = Raja Koduri | birth_name = Rajabali Makaradhwaja Koduri | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1968|08|31|df=y}} | birth_place = Kovvur, Andhra Pradesh, India | education = IIT Kharagpur, Kharagpur, West Bengal<br>Andhra University, Visakhapatnam | occupation = Business executive | relatives = M. M. Keeravani (cousin)<br />Kalyani Malik (cousin)<br />M. M. Srilekha (cousin)<br />S. S. Rajamouli (cousin)<br /> V. Vijayendra Prasad (uncle) | citizenship = United States }} '''Rajabali Makaradhwaja Koduri'''<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/intel-hires-amds-raja-koduri-to-work-on-high-end-discrete-graphics/ |title=Intel hires AMD's Raja Koduri to work on high-end, discrete graphics |last=Condon |first=Stephanie |date=November 8, 2017 |website=ZDNet |access-date=March 23, 2019}}</ref> (born 31 August 1968) is an Indian computer engineer and executive for computer graphics hardware. He was the chief architect and Executive Vice President of Intel's architecture, graphics and software (IAGS) division until April 2023. Before Intel, he worked as the senior vice president and chief architect of the Radeon Technologies Group, the graphics division at Intel's competitor AMD.
== Early life == Raja Koduri was born to a Telugu family in Kovvur, West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, India. Noted film director S. S. Rajamouli is his cousin.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 16, 2017 |title=Trinity Behind 'Baahubali' Magic |url=https://www.animationxpress.com/latest-news/keeravani-rajamouli-and-koduri-trinity-baahubali/ |website=AnimationXpress}}</ref> Other members of his extended family also work in the film industry as writers, music composers and singers.
He earned a bachelor's degree in electronics and communications from Andhra University, Visakhapatnam.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Raja M. Koduri |url=https://newsroom.intel.com/biography/raja-m-koduri/ |access-date=2020-06-27 |website=Intel Newsroom |language=en-US}}</ref> He holds a Master of Technology degree from IIT Kharagpur, Kharagpur, West Bengal.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Khullar |first=Kunal |date=November 9, 2017 |title=Raja Koduri defects from AMD to Intel, here's why this is a big deal |url=https://in.pcmag.com/intel/117523/raja-koduri-defects-from-amd-to-intel-heres-why-this-is-a-bi |access-date=March 23, 2019 |website=PCMag India |archive-date=March 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323102523/https://in.pcmag.com/intel/117523/raja-koduri-defects-from-amd-to-intel-heres-why-this-is-a-bi |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==Career== Raja Koduri joined S3 Graphics in 1996. He became the director of advanced technology development at ATI Technologies in 2001.<ref name="digitaltrends">{{Cite web |url=https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/raja-koduri-leaves-amd-to-head-intel-discrete-graphics/ |title=After teaming with AMD, Intel poaches its graphics guru to build its own GPUs |last=Parrish |first=Kevin |date=November 9, 2017 |website=Digital Trends |access-date=2019-03-28}}</ref> Following Advanced Micro Devices's 2006 acquisition of ATI, he served as chief technology officer for graphics at AMD until 2009. At S3 and ATI he made key contributions to several generations of GPU architectures that evolved from DirectX Ver 3 till Ver 11.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=GPU Futures|url=https://www.src.org/calendar/e003362/p2-presentation-koduri.pdf|access-date=|website=}}</ref> He then went to Apple Inc., where he worked with graphics hardware, which allowed Apple to transition to high-resolution Retina displays for its Mac computers.<ref name="verge">{{Cite web |url=https://www.theverge.com/2017/11/9/16627470/intel-raja-koduri-graphics-amd-radeon-business-hire |title=Intel hires Apple and AMD veteran to lead development of its own graphics chips |last=Savov, Vlad |date=November 9, 2017 |website=The Verge |access-date=March 23, 2019}}</ref> He returned to AMD in 2013 as a vice president in Visual Computing, which includes both GPU hardware and software, unlike his pre-2009 role at AMD which only concerned GPU hardware.<ref name="anand2013">{{cite web | url=https://www.anandtech.com/show/6907/the-king-is-back-raja-koduri-leaves-apple-returns-to-amd | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130420041708/http://www.anandtech.com/show/6907/the-king-is-back-raja-koduri-leaves-apple-returns-to-amd | url-status=dead | archive-date=April 20, 2013 | title=The King is Back: Raja Koduri Leaves Apple, Returns to AMD | date=April 19, 2013 | access-date=March 23, 2019 | author=Shimpi, Anand Lal | website=AnandTech}}</ref> AMD reorganized its graphics division in 2015, promoting Koduri to the executive level by naming him senior vice president and chief architect of the newly formed Radeon Technologies Group. Under this role, Koduri reported directly to AMD CEO Lisa Su.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.anandtech.com/show/9612/amd-reorganizes-graphics-division-radeon-whole-once-more-led-by-raja-koduri | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910125242/http://www.anandtech.com/show/9612/amd-reorganizes-graphics-division-radeon-whole-once-more-led-by-raja-koduri | url-status=dead | archive-date=September 10, 2015 | title=AMD Reorganizes Graphics Division – Radeon Whole Once More, Led By Raja Koduri | website=AnandTech | date=September 9, 2015 | access-date=March 23, 2019 | author=Smith, Ryan}}</ref> Raja lead the architecture transformation of Radeon Technology Group with Polaris, Vega and Navi architectures that made their way into several PC, Mac and Game Consoles (Microsoft Xbox and Sony PlayStation).
In September 2017, Koduri revealed via an internal letter to the Radeon Technologies Group (RTG) that he would be taking a sabbatical beginning on September 25, in order to spend time with his family.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Oh|first=Nate|title=Raja Koduri, Head of AMD's RTG, to go on Sabbatical until December|url=https://www.anandtech.com/show/11836/raja-koduri-sabbatical|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170913154026/http://www.anandtech.com/show/11836/raja-koduri-sabbatical|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 13, 2017|access-date=2022-01-27|website=www.anandtech.com}}</ref> He mentioned specifically in his letter that the Vega architecture development cycle was difficult for him (and thus a factor in prompting the leave) and that AMD CEO Lisa Su would act as leader of RTG in his absence. Though Koduri stated that he planned to return in December, he announced on November 7, 2017, via another internal company letter, that he would be resigning from AMD.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Smith|first=Ryan|title=Raja Koduri, AMD's Radeon Tech Group Leader, Resigns|url=https://www.anandtech.com/show/12011/raja-koduri-resigns-from-amd|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107234624/https://www.anandtech.com/show/12011/raja-koduri-resigns-from-amd|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 7, 2017|access-date=2022-01-27|website=www.anandtech.com}}</ref> The following day, Intel announced that Koduri had been appointed chief architect and senior vice president of the newly conceived Core and Visual Computing Group, with an emphasis on developing high-end discrete GPUs for the company, in addition to expanding "Intel's leading position in integrated graphics for the PC market."<ref>{{Cite web|title=Raja Koduri Joins Intel as Chief Architect to Drive Vision across Cores, Visual Computing|url=https://newsroom.intel.com/news-releases/raja-koduri-joins-intel/|access-date=2022-01-27|website=Intel Newsroom|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Smith|first=Ryan|title=Intel to Develop Discrete GPUs, Hires Raja Koduri as Chief Architect & Senior VP|url=https://www.anandtech.com/show/12017/intel-to-develop-discrete-gpus-hires-raja-koduri-as-chief-architect|archive-url=https://archive.today/20171108224550/https://www.anandtech.com/show/12017/intel-to-develop-discrete-gpus-hires-raja-koduri-as-chief-architect|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 8, 2017|access-date=2022-01-27|website=www.anandtech.com}}</ref> Koduri's work with Intel came to fruition in August 2021, with the announcement of Intel's upcoming Arc series of consumer GPUs.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Warren|first=Tom|date=2021-08-16|title=Intel enters the PC gaming GPU battle with Arc|url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/8/16/22626912/intel-arc-gpu-brand-alchemist-codename-release-date|access-date=2022-01-27|website=The Verge|language=en}}</ref> The first of these GPUs, codenamed "Alchemist," was expected to launch in Q1 2022 and is intended to compete directly with graphics-processing hardware offerings from AMD and Nvidia.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-08-31|title=Intel Enters GPU Market. Is It Late To The Party?|url=https://analyticsindiamag.com/intel-enters-gpu-market-is-it-late-to-the-party/|access-date=2022-01-27|website=Analytics India Magazine|language=en-US}}</ref>
Koduri is an investor and advisor at Makuta VFX, an Indian Visual effects company that had an impact on raising the visual effects quality in Indian cinema with award-winning and successful films like ''Eega'', ''Baahubali'' series.<ref name="anand2013" /><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/314117 |title=The Mastermind Behind The Visual Effects of Ghajini & Baahubali |last=Jain |first=Aashika |date=May 30, 2018 |website=Entrepreneur India |access-date=2019-03-23}}</ref>
In March 2023, he announced that he would leave Intel's graphics division at the end of the month, in favor of an AI-focused software startup, currently called Oxmiq Labs.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Alcorn |first=Paul |date=March 21, 2023 |title=Raja Koduri Leaves Intel to Found AI Software Start-Up |url=https://www.tomshardware.com/news/raja-koduri-leaves-intel-to-found-software-start-up }}</ref>
==Personal life== He currently lives in San Francisco.<ref>[https://www.linkedin.com/in/raja-koduri-3a51611 Raja Koduri Linkedin] {{Self-published source|date=June 2022}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}} {{Intel}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Koduri, Raja}} Category:Living people Category:21st-century American engineers Category:AMD people Category:Apple Inc. employees Category:Computer hardware engineers Category:Intel people Category:IIT Kharagpur alumni Category:Indian engineers Category:Indian business executives Category:American business executives Category:1968 births Category:S. S. Rajamouli