Intel's channel boss on the vendor's biggest-ever transformation

Jason Kimrey says Intel is moving to be less reliant on its PC business

Intel is in the middle of the biggest transformation in its 50-year history, according to US channel GM Jason Kimrey.

Speaking at Cisco's Partner Connection Week, where Intel is the main sponsor, Kimrey said that Intel is in the process of reducing its reliance on its traditional PC business.

"Intel is this year a 50-year-old company and we're in the middle of a transformation that is unlike, and bigger than, anything we have ever undergone in the last 50 years," he said.

"Back in 2010/2011 we were really a PC-centric company, which is why people know about Intel, but we recognised back then that we had to transform - transform or die - because the world simply isn't going to be relying on the PC platform for the future.

"It's still a critical part of our business but we began a digital transformation from a PC company to a data company."

This transformation has seen Intel invest in new technologies and also return to the memory scene in 2010 - which was one of its original focuses as an organisation.

Kimrey highlighted Intel's progress in the autonomous vehicles space as an example of Intel's evolution and pointed to its $15.3bn acquisition of Mobileye as proof of its commitment.

Kimrey however admitted that these new areas might not necessarily contribute to revenue growth straight away.

"There are some major changes and investments that we have to make because we simply can't just rely on our processing roadmap to meet those demands," he added.

"We have to make investments in areas that we just haven't before: memory, accelerator technology network, fabric, 5G connectivity - all critical investments that we're making and have made.

"We've been investing in these new and emerging areas and even though they're not going to make big revenue for us immediately, we know this is where the market is going and where the margin is; we have to have a play."