Lip-Bu Tan, a former Intel board member and a veteran of the semiconductor industry, was announced as Intel’s Chief Executive Officer, effective from the 18th of March, 2025. In a press release by Intel on the 12th of March, 2025, the company made it known that Lip-Bu Tan is to succeed interim co-CEOs David Zinsner and Michelle (MJ) Johnston Holthaus.
Frank Yeary, Intel’s former interim executive chair of the board, said in the press release, “Lip-Bu is an exceptional leader whose technology industry expertise, profound relationships across the product and foundry ecosystem, and proven track record of creating shareholder value is exactly what Intel needs in its next CEO.”
Following the announcement of Tan’s appointment as CEO, Intel’s shares surged by nearly 15%, which signifies a promising start for the newly appointed CEO. In the press release by Intel, Lip-Bu Tan said, “I am honored to join Intel as CEO. I have tremendous respect and admiration for this iconic company, and I see significant opportunities to remake our business in ways that serve our customers better and create value for our shareholders.”
A principal analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, Anshel Sag, said, “Tan brings stability and experience to a role that needs someone of his caliber, which is why I believe the company will likely stay the course with his appointment and continue to develop foundry and product.”
Who is Lip-Bu Tan?
Lip-Bu Tan, a Malaysian-born American, was born on the 1st of January, 1960, in Muar, Johor, to a Malaysian Chinese family. He spent his early years in Singapore and graduated from Nanyang Technological University in 1978 after majoring in physics. In 1978, he then relocated to the U.S. to complete his master’s program in nuclear engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) until 1981.
After the Three Mile Island accident in March 1979, there was a sharp reduction in opportunities in the nuclear engineering industry, which caused Lip-Bu Tan to move to the University of California in 1981, where he graduated with a master’s in business administration in 1983.
He founded Walden International in 1987, an investment company focused on start-ups in sectors involving semiconductors, big data, AI, cloud, and digital media in Asia and the USA. Some of the start-ups Walden International invested in include Sina Corp, Annapurna Labs, a microelectronics company that was later purchased by Amazon for $350 million; Inphi, a semiconductor company that was later purchased by Marvel for $10 billion; and Nuvia, a nuclear technology and engineering firm that was acquired by Qualcomm for $1.4 billion.
Lip-Bu Tan became a member of the board for Cadence Design System in February 2004 and later became the CEO from October 2008 to December 2021. During this period he actively transformed the company’s internal values that fostered a culture of prioritizing customer needs and innovative solutions.
His actions as CEO doubled the company’s revenue, expanded the operating margins of the company, and led to a 3200% increase in stock prices. He became the executive chairman for the company, serving from December 2021 to May 2023. In 2023 he stepped down to become an advisor to the company from May 2023 to March 2024.
Lip-Bu Tan served as a member of the board of several companies and, in some cases, served as a board chairman or lead director of the companies. He served as lead director for Quantenna Communications from 2015 to 2017; lead director for Ambarella Inc. from 2004 to 2017; and lead director of Aquantia from 2016 to 2019.
He also served as a board chairman for NUVIA Inc. from 2008 to 2016; founding managing partner of Celesta Capital from 2021 to date; board chairman of Rivos Inc. from 2021 to date; board chairman of Artere.ai from 2022 to date; and board chairman of Credo Technology from 2022 to date (among others).
Lip-Bu Tan also garnered honors and awards like the Singapore Business Award for Outstanding Chief/Senior Executive (overseas) of the year in March 2012; the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) Robert N. Noyce Award in August 2022, which is the highest honor bestowed by the association; the imec Lifetime of Innovation Award, 2023; Honorary Degree, Doctor of Humane Letters from the University of San Francisco; and GSA’s 2016 Dr. Morris Chang’s Exemplary Leadership Award.
