Numem Appoints Former Intel Executives to Leadership Team

May 6, 2025 —

Numem, a leader in advanced memory technology, has announced the appointment of two former Intel executives to its leadership team: Rob Crooke was elected as an independent board member, and Ashu Bakhle has joined as a senior technical advisor. Their addition signals Numem’s transition from a technology-driven innovator to a product-focused company addressing critical AI-related memory bottlenecks.

Committed to advancing energy-efficient, high-performance MRAM (Magnetoresistive Random-Access Memory) solutions, Numem serves a diverse range of applications, from data centers to edge computing.​ By accelerating the delivery of data via new memory subsystem designs, Numem solutions are re-architecting the hierarchy of AI memory tiers to eliminate the bottlenecks that negatively impact power and performance. Built on its patented AI Memory Engine architecture, Numem’s solutions offer a scalable approach to meet the rising demands of HPC and AI applications.

Crooke and Bakhle bring decades of semiconductor and engineering expertise and will work closely with CEO Max Simmons to drive adoption of Numem’s MRAM technology to address customer challenges around performance, power, density and endurance from edge AI to the data center.

“This is a pivotal moment for Numem,” said Simmons. “With our breakthrough technologies successfully developed and validated to address customers’ memory architecture challenges, we are now accelerating our move toward commercialization. With a new go-to-market team already in place, these additions to our board and advisory team strengthen our ability to deliver our MRAM-based solutions to a broader AI market and address critical memory challenges across industries.”

Commented Bill Leszinske, general partner at Cambium Capital, an early-stage venture capital firm and Numem investor, “As AI workloads push system architectures to their limits, memory has become a defining constraint – and a compelling investment opportunity. At Cambium Capital, we view Numem as a company poised to redefine what’s possible in AI infrastructure. With proven technology, a strong go-to-market foundation, and the addition of deeply experienced leadership, Numem is entering an important phase as it moves from proven technology to broader commercial engagement. We believe this combination of technical depth and market readiness positions the company to play a foundational role in the next generation of AI system design.”

Crooke brings more than 30 years of semiconductor leadership, having served as senior vice president and general manager of Intel’s Non-Volatile Memory Solutions Group. He was instrumental in the development and commercialization of Intel’s 3D NAND and Optane technologies and later became the founding CEO of Solidigm following Intel’s sale of its SSD business to SK hynix.

Bakhle is a seasoned technology executive with a rich background in engineering leadership. With over three decades of experience at Intel, in his latest role, he served as vice president of engineering, where he played a crucial role in the development of high-performance edge and networking products. His strategic insights and technical acumen have consistently driven product innovation and market growth in multiple markets including consumer electronics, PCs and edge.

About Cambium Capital
Cambium Capital is an early-stage venture capital firm focused on advanced computation. Learn more at www.cambium.vc.

About Numem
Founded in 2016 in Sunnyvale, Calif., Numem is transforming AI and data center efficiency from edge to core. By reimagining AI memory hierarchies, Numem eliminates bottlenecks that constrain power and performance. Its patented, innovative solutions, including the Numem AI Memory Engine SOC subsystem IPs, and Memory SOC Chip/Chiplets, enable high-performance MRAM. These technologies address memory bottlenecks with a fraction of the power consumption of traditional SRAM and DRAM, delivering faster and more efficient data processing. For more information, please visit www.numem.com or connect with the company on LinkedIn.

Media Contact:
Stephanie Olsen
Lages & Associates
(949) 453-8080
stephanie@lages.com

Rob Crooke has been elected to Numem’s board of directors. Crooke brings more than 30 years of semiconductor leadership, having served as senior vice president and general manager of Intel’s Non-Volatile Memory Solutions Group.

Ashu Bakhle has joined Numem as a senior technical advisor. A seasoned technology executive with a rich background in engineering leadership, Bakhle has over three decades of experience at Intel where his strategic insights and technical acumen have consistently driven product innovation and market growth.