CNBC's Jim Cramer said Thursday that Intel's acquisition of artificial intelligence start-up Nervana Systems shows that CEO Brian Krzanich is thinking of the future.

The chipmaker giant said Tuesday it would acquire San Diego-based Nervana to expand the company's capabilities in AI and to strengthen the deep learning performance of Intel Xeon and Intel Xeon Phi processors. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The 2-year-old start-up's investors include CME Ventures, Allen & Co, Global Playground, Lux Capital and AME Cloud Ventures.

"Artificial intelligence is something Brian Krzanich is deeply focused on," Cramer said on "Squawk on the Street." "And this acquisition shows me he is thinking of the future, not the past."

Cramer noted that other technology companies such as Facebook are also focusing on AI, augmented reality, robots and virtual reality.

Last week, GeekWire said tech giant Apple acquired machine-learning start-up Turi, reflecting the company's push into AI and machine learning.

Intel's stock is roughly flat year to date.