Pat Gelsinger, former CEO of Intel, has joined venture capital firm Playground Global as a general partner while also taking a board position at xLight, a startup working on advanced chip manufacturing technology.
Gelsinger’s Role at Playground Global
Founded in 2015, Silicon Valley-based Playground Global manages $1.2 billion in assets, focusing on deep technology investments such as semiconductors. The firm has backed companies like:
- MosaicML, an AI startup acquired by Databricks in a $1.3 billion deal last year.
- PsiQuantum, a quantum computing company reportedly raising at least $750 million to expand operations in Australia and the U.S.
Gelsinger, who left Intel due to strategic disagreements with its board, told Reuters that he will be working with 10 to 20 of Playground’s portfolio companies, seeking innovations that outperform existing technologies by at least 10 times.
“There are no sustainable protections. You must stay on the front foot of innovation. And Playground gives me the chance to do that and do it at a broader scale,” Gelsinger stated.
Joining xLight as Executive Chairman
Gelsinger’s first major move at Playground is joining xLight as executive chairman. The startup is developing a new type of laser for extreme ultra-violet (EUV) lithography, a key technology in semiconductor manufacturing. The new laser is designed to be far more energy-efficient than the ASML-produced EUV lasers currently considered the industry standard.
By enhancing chip production efficiency and enabling smaller, faster chips, xLight’s innovation aligns with Moore’s Law, the principle defined by Intel co-founder Gordon Moore that predicts continued improvements in chip density and performance.
“We’ll be able to keep advancing the capacity of Moore’s Law into the future,” Gelsinger noted. “And being able to have that light source being done in America – I think that is huge for us.”
With his deep industry expertise, Gelsinger’s move signals a strong push toward advancing semiconductor technology and reshaping the future of chip manufacturing.
