One of the toughest jobs in the chip industry! Intel appoints Chen Liwu as the next CEO

According to a statement released by Intel on Wednesday, the company has appointed Lip-Bu Tan as its next CEO. The 65-year-old Tan will officially take over as CEO on March 18. He will rejoin the board after stepping down in August 2024.

Following the announcement, Intel's stock surged over 11%, having already risen 4.6% during regular trading on Wednesday. Over the past 12 months, Intel's stock price has fallen more than 54%, bringing its market value down to $89.5 billion.

Tan previously served as the head of Cadence Design Systems Inc. and now takes on the critical task of revitalizing Intel. His predecessor, CEO Pat Gelsinger, was ousted by the board for failing to effectively rejuvenate Intel's product lineup.

Intel has dominated the semiconductor field for decades but is now facing declining market share, manufacturing challenges, and a sharp drop in profits. The company is also burdened with heavy debt and recently had to lay off about 15,000 employees.

One of the most prominent challenges for Intel is developing artificial intelligence accelerator chips that can compete with Nvidia's products. Nvidia has long been in Intel's shadow but has seen its revenue and market value soar in the past two years due to the AI computing boom.

Gelsinger attempted to transform Intel into a contract manufacturer that produces products for external clients, but this effort is still in its early stages.

It is worth noting that despite facing various challenges, Intel remains one of the highest-grossing chip manufacturers in the world, with annual sales exceeding $50 billion. The company's processors are still a major component of over 70% of personal computers and servers globally, and its factories account for a significant portion of the world's advanced manufacturing capacity.

However, missteps in product development have allowed competitors to gain an advantage. In addition to Nvidia, AMD has also gained market share in the personal computer and server markets and is more competitive than Intel in the AI chip sector. Amid these challenges, Intel has even failed to make it into the top ten chip companies by market value globally.

Tan was born in Malaysia and grew up in Singapore. He studied physics at Nanyang Technological University and later earned a master's degree in nuclear engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He pursued a postdoctoral degree before obtaining an MBA from the University of San Francisco.

After working in venture capital, he joined the Cadence board in 2004. In 2008, following the departure of the then-CEO, he became co-CEO and took on the role of sole CEO in 2009. Tan served as chairman after working at Cadence for over a decade until his departure in 2023Cadence and its competitor Synopsys Inc. jointly dominate the computer-aided design (CAD) market for semiconductor design. As device complexity continues to increase, their software and services have become increasingly important, with engineers relying on these products to design microchip architectures containing tens of billions of transistors and their interconnections.

Leading Intel was once the most prestigious position in the industry. At its peak, Intel's profitability was exceptionally prominent in manufacturing, with gross margins exceeding 60%, but it has now fallen to about half.

When Gelsinger took over the company in 2021, he was seen as a potential savior, but after several consecutive quarters of disappointing performance—including what analysts called the worst quarterly report in the company's history in August 2024—Wall Street lost confidence in his transformation plan.

In 2024, Intel performed the worst in the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index, dropping 60%. As the company's value plummeted to levels not seen since the 1990s, the once-unimaginable idea of Intel being acquired has now become more realistic.

Intel's new leadership will have to deal with various inquiries from potential acquirers and decide whether to continue to uphold Gelsinger's stance that the company does not need to be split. Some on Wall Street have suggested separating Intel's chip design and manufacturing businesses, which are already operationally distinct.

Bloomberg has reported that companies such as Qualcomm, Broadcom, and Arm have explored the possibility of acquiring all or part of Intel's business. If a formal proposal emerges, Intel's board will face immense pressure to consider options that Gelsinger may have already dismissed.

Intel is the most funded company by the U.S. government under the CHIPS and Science Act, with a total amount nearing $8 billion, but the disbursement of these funds depends on Intel's ability to meet several milestones, including building and equipping new factories in the U.S. Intel has delayed some construction plans, including a project in Ohio.

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