Semiconductor large Intel employed semiconductor veteran Lip-Bu Tan to be its new CEO. This information comes three months after Pat Gelsinger retired and stepped down from the corporate’s board, with Intel CFO David Zinsner and government vp of consumer relations Michelle Johnston Holthaus stepping in as co-CEOs.
Tan, who was most lately the CEO of Cadence Design Programs, is becoming a member of Intel — and rejoining the board — at an fascinating time within the Silicon Valley firm’s historical past. Intel has seen its fair proportion of ups and downs up to now few years — to place it mildly.
When Gelsinger took the helm in February 2021, Intel was already struggling and was falling far behind its friends within the semiconductor race. On the time, the corporate was probably nonetheless reeling from lacking out on the smartphone revolution along with missteps when it got here to chip fabrication.
It was additionally an fascinating time for the semiconductor business at massive. The sector had seen quite a lot of latest consolidation in late 2020, together with AMD buying Xilink for $35 billion and Analog shopping for Maxim for $21 billion, amongst others.
So how was Gelsinger’s most up-to-date tenure at Intel? Let’s have a look.
Gelsinger obtained proper to work when he began. He introduced a modernization plan for the corporate, dubbed IDM, or built-in gadget manufacturing. The primary a part of the aim was a $20 billion funding to construct two new chip manufacturing services in Arizona, with plans to spice up chip manufacturing within the U.S. and past.
In 2022, the corporate introduced the second a part of this IDM plan, which concerned a three-pronged strategy to chip manufacturing: Intel’s fabs, third-party international producers, and constructing out the corporate’s foundry companies. As a part of this plan, the corporate introduced it will purchase Tower Semiconductor for $5.4 billion to assist construct out Intel’s customized foundry companies.
That deal fell by means of, nonetheless, after going through regulatory hurdles. It was canceled in the summertime of 2023. On the time, TechCrunch reported that the merger not going by means of would have a critical impression on the corporate’s modernization plans. In September 2024, Intel took steps to transition its chip foundry division, Intel Foundry, to an impartial subsidiary.
The time main as much as Gelsinger’s retirement was significantly tumultuous for Intel. The corporate’s inventory worth plummeted about 50% from the start of 2024 to Gelsinger’s departure in December. Intel introduced plans to lay off 15% of its workforce, round 15,000 individuals, in August after dismal second-quarter outcomes. At the moment, Gelsinger mentioned the corporate had struggled to capitalize on the AI increase in the identical means its rivals had, and that regardless of falling behind, Intel had overgrown headcount.
Within the time since Gelsinger’s departure, the corporate has delayed the opening of its Ohio chip manufacturing unit — once more — and determined to not deliver its Falcon Shores AI chips to market.
However as Tan takes the lead, issues could also be beginning to head in the appropriate course. Intel finalized a cope with the U.S. Division of Commerce to obtain a $7.865 billion grant for home semiconductor manufacturing by means of the U.S. Chips and Science Act; Intel has already acquired $2.2 billion of that grant cash, in response to its fourth-quarter earnings name. The corporate was additionally capable of notch a win relating to the recognition of its Arc B580 graphics card, which bought out after optimistic early critiques.
