Chen Liwu became the CEO of Intel!

On March 12, 2025 local time, Intel Corporation officially announced that its board of directors has appointed Lip-Bu Tan as chief executive officer (CEO), effective March 18.

Liwu Chen is a seasoned technology leader with extensive experience in the semiconductor industry. He will succeed interim co-CEOs David Zinsner and Michelle (MJ) Johnston Holthaus. Liwu Chen stepped down as a member of Intel’s board of directors in August 2024, but now he will rejoin Intel’s board.

David Zinsner will continue as executive vice president and chief financial officer, and Johnston Holthaus will continue as chief executive officer of Intel Products. Frank D. Yeary, who served as interim executive chairman of the board during the search for a new CEO, will resume his role as independent chair of the board following the appointment of Liwu Chen.

“Liwu Chen is an outstanding leader, and his technology industry expertise, deep relationships with the product and foundry ecosystem, and proven track record of creating shareholder value are exactly what Intel’s next CEO needs,” said Yeary. Over the course of his long and distinguished career, he has earned a reputation as an innovator who puts the customer at the heart of everything he does, delivers differentiated solutions to win the market, and builds a high-performance culture to succeed. ”

Yeary continued, “Like many in the industry, I have worked closely with Chen in the past and have seen firsthand how his relentless focus on customers drives innovation and success. We are thrilled to have Liwu Chen as our CEO, and we are working hard to accelerate our transformation and capitalize on the tremendous growth opportunities ahead.” ”

Commenting on his appointment, Chen said, “I am honored to join Intel as CEO. I have great respect and admiration for this iconic company, and I see a significant opportunity to reinvent the business to better serve our customers and create value for our shareholders. ”

“Intel has a strong and differentiated computing platform, a large customer installed base, and strong manufacturing capabilities that will be enhanced as we rebuild our process technology roadmap,” Chen continued. I am eager to join the company and build on the work of the entire Intel team to prepare for the future of our business.” ”

Yeary added, “On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Dave and Michelle for their unwavering leadership as interim co-CEOs. Their discipline and focus are a steady source for us as we continue to strive for better execution, rebuild product leadership, advance our foundry strategy, and begin to regain investor confidence.” ”

Liwu Chen is a long-time technology investor and widely respected executive with more than 20 years of semiconductor and software experience and a deep relationship with the Intel ecosystem. He served as CEO of Cadence Design Systems from 2009 to 2021, leading the company’s reinvention and driving a transformation of a customer-centric culture of innovation. During his tenure as CEO, Cadence’s revenue more than doubled, operating margins improved, and the stock price rose by more than 3,200%.

Chen also served as a member of the Cadence Board of Directors for 19 years, from his appointment in 2004 until 2021 to 2023, when he served as Chief Executive Officer.

He is also the founding managing partner of Walden Catalyst Ventures and Chairman of Walden International. He has extensive experience on public company boards and currently serves on the boards of Credo Technology Group and Schneider Electric.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in physics from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, a master’s degree in nuclear engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of San Francisco. In 2022, he received the Robert Noyce Award, the highest honor of the Semiconductor Industry Association.

Chen Liwu issued an open letter: will focus on the project

After being appointed by Intel’s board of directors as the new Intel CEO, Chen Liwu sent an open letter to all Intel employees via email on March 12, 2025 local time. The following is the full text of the open letter:

I am honored to be your next CEO.

Intel is a company I’ve always admired. I’ve been drawn to the power of science, technology, and engineering since I was a kid – and Intel’s innovations have been at the heart of so many breakthroughs that have changed the world.

Of course, as we all know, past achievements are not indicative of future success, especially in a dynamic industry like ours. The pace of change is accelerating, and the competition is fierce. You know this better than anyone, and I know the last few years have been tough for you and your team.

You will find that I never back down from a challenge. Throughout my career, challenges have always motivated me to solve difficult problems. As I prepare to join the company, I believe we have a truly unique opportunity to reinvent the company at one of the most pivotal moments in our history.

That’s not to say it’s going to be easy. It won’t. But I joined because I wholeheartedly believed that we were capable of winning. Intel plays an important role in the technology ecosystem in the United States and around the world. I believe that if we work together, we can turn things around.

Under my leadership, Intel will be an engineering-focused company. We will strive to develop the best products, listen carefully to our customers, and deliver on the promises we have made to build trust.

I believe in a simple philosophy: stay humble. Work hard. Delight our customers. Good things happen when you stick to these three core beliefs. This is true in every job I do, and it’s how I approach the future as CEO.

We can’t take it for granted, and we regularly delve into it to assess our progress. In areas where we are motivated, we need to redouble our efforts and expand our strengths. Where we are lagging behind our competitors, we need to take calculated risks to break the game and outperform our opponents. In areas where we are making slower progress than expected, we need to find new ways to pick up the pace.

Above all, we need to stick together. One of the most profound lessons I learned during my time in college was as an athlete, not a student. I’ve learned to trust and trust my teammates because I know it’s the surest path to victory – there’s nothing I hate more than defeat. It’s the mindset we all need to embrace when building a culture of success at Intel.

Now, more than ever, our customers are counting on us to stick together and serve them. Most importantly, this is our top priority and will continue to be so. As your CEO, I will empower leaders to take responsibility and take action to move our business forward.

We had the opportunity to do something special together. In many ways, we are the founders of “New Intelligence”. We will learn from our past mistakes, use setbacks to strengthen our resolve, and choose action over distraction to reach our full potential.

Together, we will restore Intel’s position as a world-class product company, establish ourselves as a world-class foundry, and delight our customers like never before.” That’s what we need now to reinvent Intel for the future.

We also have a responsibility to deliver benefits to our shareholders – and that’s something I’m just concerned about, and I expect this to be the result of our renewed focus on our customers.

I am grateful for the trust that the Board of Directors has placed in me to lead this great company forward. I’m proud to be part of this team and excited about our collaboration.