Jim Keller was not a fan of the ARM-based AMD K12

A couple of weeks ago PC enthusiasts were puzzled by the news that CPU architect Jim Keller had left AMD to take up a new position as chief architect at Samsung. Some assumed it was just his usual modus operandi, while others believed there could be a link with AMD's future.

Now FUD Zilla heard from sources close to AMD that Keller made some changes in AMD's design priorities. Keller reportedly did not favor the ARM-based K12 design and sidelined it in favor of speeding up development of the x86-based Zen architecture:

Fudzilla sources close to the matter have said that Keller made some changes in the design priorities. The K12 is an ARM-based product aimed for the server environment, At the end of 2015 no one has made any impact in the server market with an ARM based product.

The Zen was the most important product from AMD and Keller hoped that that the success of the Zen based server and desktop line will pull its nadgers out of the fire. But potentially there was some nice money to be made in server market. Even if Zen failed to beat Intel in performance, it will most likely be more affordable solution. This is how AMD could easily win some market share back for the company.