The Register's favorite HP executive, CTO Shane Robison, is to take on additional responsibilities as he joins the board of secretive chip start-up NextIO. The former head of Internet strategy AT&T Labs was the instrumental figure in fomenting the HP-Compaq merger.

In contrast to the standard Silicon Valley attire of Banana Republic shirts tucked neatly into regulation Chinos, Robison cuts quite a splendid dash. Rumors that he has been seen in the company of a giant cat have never been corroborated, although he has performed decapitations - most notably of Compaq's world-beating Alpha microprocessor.

NextIO draws heavily on management from Banderacom, an Infiniband-focused chip startup, and Broadcom. The company's marketing VP held strategic positions at AMD and Dell, and Dell invested $10 million in NextIO today. ®

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