LIP-BU TAN, American of Malaysian origin, took the lead of the specialist in microprocessors and semiconductors last March.
Donald Trump, to Washington DC, Le 7 Août 2025 (Getty Images North America / Anna Moneymaker)
In response to the “concerns” of a republican senator as to possible ties of the CEO of Intel with Chinese companies, Donald Trump called on Thursday to the “immediate” resignation of the new boss of the American company of semiconductors and processors, seeing it as a national security problem.
“The Director General of Intel faces a serious conflict of interest and must resign immediately. There is no other solution to this problem”,
Jushed the American president on Thursday, August 7 on his Truth Social platform, while Lip-Bu Tan took the head of Intel in mid-March.
The Senator of Arkansas (Center) Tom Cotton sent a letter to the president of the group on Wednesday, Frank Yeary, in order to express his “concern” concerning possible links between Mr. Tan and companies which
“have links with the Chinese Communist Party and the People’s Liberation Army”.
“Mr. Tan would control dozens of Chinese companies and hold shares in Chinese companies of semiconductors and advanced industry,” accused Cotton in his letter, “at least eight of these companies would have links with the Chinese army”.
The American senator also pointed out that the former company of Intel boss, Cadence Design Systems, had “pleaded guilty for having illegally sold” products “to the University of the Chinese army and having transferred its technology to a Chinese company without having obtained a license”.
A nuclear former
“Much disinformation has circulated about my old posts at Walden International and Cadence Design Systems. I want to be absolutely clear: in addition to forty years in the sector, I have established relationships around the world and (…) I have always exercised in compliance with the strictest legal and ethical standards”, defended LIP-BU Tan on Thursday to the employees of Intel made public by the company. “We collaborate with the Administration (by Donald Trump) to answer the questions raised and ensure that it has the facts,” added the manager.
He also assured that he “fully shared the president’s commitment to promote the national and economic security of the United States”, stressing in the press release his “love” for America.
American born in Malaysia, Lip-Bu Tan, 65, began his career in nuclear power before launching his own investment fund, specializing in digital, particularly in Asia. He took the lead of the specialist in microprocessors and semiconductors last March, while the company, formerly a leader in the field, could not take the turn of artificial intelligence (AI) in time, now accusing a definite delay on its competitors such as Nvidia.
Intel finished 2024 with better than expected results, but prospects deemed too low by the market.