Former India Chief of Intel, Avtar Saini, Man Behind Pentium Processor, Killed In Mumbai Accident

Mumbai: Avtar Saini, the former Intel India head, who led the design of the Pentium processor, died in an accident in Mumbai on Wednesday morning. A speeding car hit his cycle. The 68-year-old met with the accident while he was riding his bicycle along with other cyclists at around 5.50 am on Palm Beach Road in Nerul.

A speeding taxi hit his bicycle from the backside. Saini suffered severe injuries and was rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors declared him brought dead.

The driver of the cab was caught by the other cyclists and handed over to the police.

Saini lived alone in Chembur following his wife’s death three years back. His son and daughter live in the US. Intel India president Gokul V Subramaniam expressed grief over Saini’s death and wrote on X, “At Intel, we are deeply saddened by the demise of former country manager and director Intel South Asia, Avtar Saini. Avtar played a key role in setting up the Intel R&D centre in India. Avtar will be remembered as a prolific inventor, an outstanding leader and a valuable mentor,” he wrote in a post on LinkedIn.

Mr Saini was vice president at Intel India from 1982 to 2004. He helped designing of several processors, including Intel 386, Intel 486 and the popular Pentium processor.