Intel has appointed a new CEO, thereby resolving the leadership uncertainty.

Intel named Lip-Bu Tan CEO after Pat Gelsinger left three months ago. Tan will succeed temporary co-CEOs David Zinsner and Michelle (MJ) Johnston Holthaus on March 18. Zinsner returns as CFO, while Holthaus leads Intel Products.

From Cadence to Intel’s Top
Tan is most recognized for more than doubling Cadence Design Systems’ sales as CEO from 2009 to 2021. He was on Intel’s board from 2022 to 2024, providing him unique knowledge of its evolution. Tan was a board member and CEO of Cadence before this.

Strategic Change After Gelsinger Left
Intel first said Gelsinger retired, but sources say the board fired him after losing faith in his plan to resuscitate the chipmaker. After 30 years at Intel, Gelsinger returned in 2021 to reestablish semiconductor innovation leadership.

Tan inherits a pivotal corporation. He must decide whether to retain Intel’s ambition of controlling chip design and manufacture or split off sections of its foundry business, as some insiders have suggested under pressure from TSMC and AMD.

Tan’s Intel Vision
In his first public message, Tan highlighted essential themes rather than big changes:

“We will work hard to restore Intel’s position as a world-class products company, establish ourselves as a world-class foundry, and delight our customers like never before.”

He said Intel must be “an engineering-focused company” that takes “calculated risks to disrupt and leapfrog” technologies. With AI, sophisticated chips, and manufacturing in the limelight, Tan’s next move is watched.