AMD shuffles executives as it combines graphics and microprocessors

Some members of Advanced Micro Devices‘ management team just got Fusioned. Fusion is the brand name for the company’s plans to put graphics and a microprocessor on the same chip. The day that happens is still quite far off, but today the chip design company combined management of the two divisions.

Randy Allen, formerly head of the microprocessor division, is leaving the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company as a result. He apparently had no chair when the music stopped playing. Rick Bergman will head the product division that combines graphics and microprocessors. Jeff VerHeul will head the Processor Solutions Engineering team, which designs the chips.

The company’s Advanced Technology Group will be led by Chekib Akrout, who came to AMD from IBM, where he helped supervise the creation of the Cell microprocessor for the PlayStation 3. Nigel Dessau will lead AMD’s marketing group, and a customer group (sales) will be led by Emilio Ghilardi.

AMD also lost a couple of senior executives in its graphics department. Both were hired by Apple, one a year ago and one more recently. That prompted a wave of speculation that Apple was working on chip designs. It will be interesting to see where Allen winds up.