Intel CEO Confirms U.S. Government’s 10% Stake Was a “Deliberate” Move to Drive Comeback, Comparing It to Taiwan’s Support for TSMC

In a recent report by DigiTimes, Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan revealed new details surrounding the U.S. government’s decision to acquire a 10% stake in Intel, describing it as a “deliberate” and strategic move aimed at revitalizing America’s semiconductor leadership. Speaking at the Future Investment Initiative in Saudi Arabia, Tan praised President Trump’s administration for taking an active interest in strengthening Intel’s position, noting that the move mirrors how Taiwan and South Korea have supported their own chipmaking champions, TSMC and Samsung Foundry.

“If you look at TSMC and Chartered Semiconductor, the government is a shareholder in those countries... and it's very important for the resilience of the supply chain,” said Lip-Bu Tan, Intel CEO.

Tan recounted the details of his meeting with President Trump, during which he presented a plan to “make Intel great again.” Drawing from his track record at Cadence Design Systems, where he achieved what he called a “100-times return for shareholders,” Tan said Trump was impressed by his results-oriented approach. That meeting reportedly played a direct role in the administration’s decision to secure a 10% government stake in Intel.

The CEO also addressed past allegations of investment ties with China, clarifying that in the semiconductor industry, collaborations with Chinese partners were common business practices 10 to 20 years ago. Tan emphasized that Intel’s current focus is entirely domestic, aligning with national interests and strengthening supply chain independence.

The U.S. government’s stake has provided Intel with significant financial support, reinforcing its balance sheet and drawing renewed interest from major investors, including NVIDIA and SoftBank. The infusion of capital and confidence has reportedly accelerated Intel’s recovery strategy after several challenging years in manufacturing competitiveness and market share losses to AMD, NVIDIA, and TSMC.

Looking ahead, Tan highlighted two core pillars of Intel’s comeback strategy. The first is a heavy investment in artificial intelligence, particularly in areas he described as “physical AI” and “agentic AI,” signaling Intel’s commitment to developing new hardware and frameworks that can power next-generation intelligent systems. The second is a full commitment to Intel Foundry, its independent manufacturing arm, which aims to compete directly with TSMC and Samsung by providing cutting-edge fabrication services to both internal and external clients.

Tan’s vision marks one of the most decisive leadership shifts at Intel in years. Under his direction, Intel appears to be embracing a model that combines government partnership, renewed innovation in AI, and a refocused manufacturing mission to restore its standing as a global semiconductor leader.

With Washington now directly invested and a CEO determined to rebuild “Team Blue” from the ground up, Intel’s next few years could define not just its own resurgence, but also the United States’ semiconductor independence in a time of growing global competition.

What do you think about the U.S. government taking a direct stake in Intel? Could this partnership truly help restore America’s chipmaking dominance?