Embedded Executive Podcast Embedded Executive: A Fresh Approach to AI | VSORA
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Feb 11, 2026 Sandra Rivera, former Intel leader and now Chairwoman at VSORA, brings deep AI infrastructure and chip commercialization experience. She talks about VSORA’s focus on AI inference chips, low-latency embedded memory design, recent silicon tapeout, and plans for benchmarks, system integrations, and European deployments in the year ahead.
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Career Pivot Led To VSORA Chair Role
- Sandra Rivera describes leaving Intel after selling the business unit to Silver Lake and then moving into board and advisory roles.
- That transition led directly to her joining VSORA as chair of the board in December.
One Call That Changed Everything
- Rivera tells how an initial 30-minute call with VSORA CEO Khaled turned into a 90-minute conversation because of instant chemistry and shared experience.
- That deep first meeting quickly escalated from a board discussion to an offer to chair the board.
Inference Requires Different Trade-Offs
- VSORA focuses specifically on AI inference rather than training, targeting low latency and cost-per-token.
- Rivera highlights that inference needs different trade-offs like determinism, power limits, and bandwidth management.