The new Intel Partner Alliance program went live in January, but the chip maker officially marked its debut on Thursday. John Kalvin, the company’s new global channel chief, outlined the new program at the Intel Partner Connect virtual event.

The company built Intel Partner Alliance to reflect the broadening of its ecosystem and changes in technology. The program includes more training and new marketing options. It also features a modernized and unified partner portal and a new solution marketplace.

It recognizes eight partner types: OEMs, solution providers, service integrators, manufacturers (such as ODMs), distributors (“authorized” and “approved”), ISVs, cloud and communications service providers and those that provide FPGA engineering and design services.

Intel’s John Kalvin

“We really are at the start of a new day for Intel and our partners,” said Kalvin, a 23-year company veteran who became VP and general manager of global scale and partners in December. “Together, we’re moving the world forward by advancing breakthrough technology and solutions in a wide range of segments from edge to cloud technology for virtual education, to safe roads and autonomous driving, to medical advancements powered by AI, and so many more.”

Kalvin said tens of thousands of partners have accessed the new portal, though he acknowledged the launch wasn’t seamless.

“It’s been very hard; it’s been a tough program,” he said. “Some of our partners have had some challenges in accessing the portal and things like that. Intel IT and our partner team have really been working around the clock to make sure that we work through those pretty quickly.”

New CEO Gelsinger Addresses Partners

Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger gave a synthesized recap of last month’s outline of the company’s integrated device manufacturing (IDM 2.0). Gelsinger reiterated that Intel’s shift to 7nm process technology is on schedule. For example, the first processors the company is manufacturing with that process, Meteor Lake, are on pace for 2023.  He also emphasized its progress on improved packaging technology and new 3-D techniques that will enable new products.

Advances in new technologies such as AI, 5G and IoT have created a more diverse set of partners, Gelsinger said.

Intel’s Pat Gelsinger

“I firmly believe our best days are ahead, but we can’t do it alone,” he said. “We need to collaborate with you, our partners. We are stronger, more capable and better positioned to accelerate the future of technology, and therefore the future of the world together. I am here today to personally commit that every single day Intel will work tirelessly to be an incredible partner to you.”

Gelsinger said he has asked the company’s partner-facing teams to focus on three areas:

“These are my expectations for my team,” Gelsinger said. “My expectation of you is that you will push us to be our best, and you our best partner.”

Indeed, Intel executives said they are hearing Gelsinger’s emphasis on execution.

Intel’s Michelle Johnston Holthaus

“He’s been really focused on execution, execution, execution,” said Intel chief revenue officer Michelle Johnston Holthaus. “He said our customers need to know that we’re going to execute and deliver exactly what we promised.”

Global Chip Shortage

Last week Gelsinger warned the global shortage in semiconductors could last into next year. Holthaus said Intel is pushing to accelerate capacity to meet growing demand. In the past two years, Intel has increased its capacity twofold, she noted.

“The real thing here is that demand continues to be strong,” Holthaus said. “And with COVID-19 and the pandemic, it’s gotten even stronger, because we’ve seen that the PC has become essential to the way that people work and interact on a daily basis.”

PC shipments have risen to 1 million a day, according to Holthaus.

“That is massive TAM growth,” she said. “When you think about where we were in 2018, to where we are now, we’re up over 75-100 million units in TAM in a very short amount of time. The good news is with our investments at Intel in our increases in capacity, we can build the dye to be able to supply well over market demand.”

But she noted that other suppliers of components still face challenges.

“You might be able to find a CPU,” she said. “But you may not be able to find a panel, or a battery, or some other component to actually be able to finish that kit.”