His departure from Intel was marked by significant challenges, including disputes over his turnaround plan and major workforce cuts.

Pat Gelsinger has recently taken on the role of executive chairman at xLight, a startup focused on developing energy-efficient lasers for chip manufacturing.

Gelsinger is not the first former Intel CEO to transition into venture capital; his predecessor Bob Swan joined Andreessen Horowitz in 2021.

Playground Global, a venture capital firm founded in 2015 by Andy Rubin, specializes in deep technology investments and manages $1.2 billion in assets.

Gelsinger has expressed a keen interest in quantum computing and looks forward to collaborating with PsiQuantum, another company in Playground's portfolio.

At Playground, Gelsinger aims to engage with 10 to 20 portfolio companies, seeking technologies that can outperform current standards by at least tenfold.

He emphasized the importance of continuous innovation in the tech sector, viewing Playground as a platform to pursue this goal on a broader scale.

Initially considering starting his own venture firm, Gelsinger opted to join Playground for quicker scalability and to leverage existing structures.

In addition to his role at Playground, Gelsinger has also become the executive chairman and head of technology at Gloo, where he will oversee AI product development.

His involvement with xLight includes overseeing advancements in laser technology critical for Extreme Ultraviolet lithography machines, which are essential for adhering to Moore's Law.

With over 45 years of experience in the tech industry, particularly at Intel, Gelsinger is well-positioned to guide investments in advanced technologies.

Under Gelsinger's leadership, Intel faced substantial difficulties, losing market share and experiencing a significant drop in stock price in 2024.