The recent situation at Intel has posed significant challenges, prompting questions after the board agreed to remove Pat Gelsinger, Intel’s former engineer, who returned to take on the CEO position. Amid the ongoing business restructuring news, the company has now announced Tan Lip-Bu as the new CEO, leaving many wondering, “Who is he?”
Born in Malaysia and raised in Singapore, Tan Lip-Bu earned a physics degree from Nanyang Technological University and later pursued a nuclear engineering degree at MIT in the United States. He then obtained American citizenship. In 1987, he shifted gears to pursue an MBA at the University of San Francisco, founding the investment firm Walden International, which boasts an estimated $2.8 billion in assets today. Walden focuses on investing in semiconductor businesses, cloud infrastructure, data security management systems, and AI.
Primarily investing in small-scale startups, Walden has faith that companies with skilled engineering teams, especially in hardware design, can compete with larger corporations. Tan’s notable investments include Annapurna Labs, a chip design company from Israel that was acquired by Amazon, and Nuvia, a chip design company acquired by Qualcomm in 2021. Additionally, he invested in Creative Technology, Meituan, and SMIC.
In 2009, Tan assumed the role of CEO at Cadence Design Systems, a software development company for chip designing, with key partners and clients such as TSMC, Broadcom, and Apple. He served as CEO there until 2021. In 2022, the Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International bestowed upon him the prestigious Robert N. Noyce Award for outstanding contributions to the industry.
Independent analyst Jack Gold believes Tan’s strength, despite being 65 years old now, lies in the business network he has cultivated over the years. He has served on the boards of multiple companies and organizations, including Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Schneider Electric, Softbank, Ambarella, Flextronics, Inphi, Mindtree, SMIC, UC Berkeley Engineering Faculty, and UOB Bank. Notably, he was a board member at Intel in 2022 but chose to resign in 2024 due to disagreements with the business restructuring plan. Reports at the time stated that Tan believed Intel had too many employees, should not enter the chip manufacturing business, and had cultural issues averse to risk.
Following his appointment as CEO, Tan emailed Intel employees, assuring a focus on engineering and a commitment to keeping Intel’s businesses integrated instead of splitting them into two separate companies. He also aims to encourage the company to take more risks, especially in areas where they are falling behind competitors.
TL;DR – Tan Lip-Bu, the newly appointed CEO of Intel, brings a wealth of experience and a strong business network to the table. His background in physics and engineering, coupled with successful investments in the semiconductor industry, positions him well to lead Intel towards future success.
Leave a Comment