Graphics Chief Technology Officer Set to Leave AMD.
Advanced Micro Devices has lost another key executive, who was instrumental in making ATI Technologies and then AMD the worldwide leader on the market of high-end graphics cards. Eric Demers, the former chief technology officer of AMD's graphics products group, has decided to leave the company.
"Eric Demers, AMD corporate vice president and CTO of graphics business unit, has decided leave AMD to pursue other opportunities. AMD CTO Mark Papermaster will assume interim responsibility for the graphics business unit CTO role until a replacement is found," an official statement by AMD reads.
As the chief technology officer, Mr. Demers was responsible for roadmaps, IP development and business engagements. In many ways, he had direct influence on AMD's strategy in general.
Eric Demers started his career as an engineer of graphics processors in Matrox Graphics and Seiko Epson in 1990. Mr. Demers spent four years with SGI before David Orton and Rick Bergman started their own company called ArtX, which designed graphics processor for Nintendo Gamecube game console. ArtX was eventually acquired by ATI Technologies in 2000 and was responsible for development of such market-changing products like Radeon 9700. ATI was bought by AMD in 2006 and since then Eric Demers held various positions at the new company, where he oversaw development of such breakthrough products like AMD Radeon HD 5800 "Evergreen" or AMD Radeon HD 7900 "Southern Islands".