If you have been following the technology for long, you have witnessed two key moments in the golden era of Intel. First, in the 90s, when the Pentium series cemented its domain in desktop processors. Then, in 2006, when, with an already consolidated brand, Intel inaugurated the ‘Core’ era. At that time, the company not only led the sector: It represented the avant -garde in innovation and quality. He demonstrated it with reference products and a clear brand identity, crowned by his slogan: Leaps Ahead (Jumps forward). But something changed.
Intel’s domain ceased to be unquestionable. His brightness went out with the emergence of the mobile world, AMD’s resurgence in desktop computers, Apple Silicon’s thrust and his own delays in the development of advanced nodes. Pat Gelsinger tried to straighten the course, but between dismissals and cadastrophic quarterly results, his stage ended in an unprecedented crisis. Now, Intel’s future is in the hands of Lip-Bu Tan, who will assume command this Tuesday.
Lip-bu so does not go with rodeos
There are few hours left for Lip-Bu to officially become the new Intel CEO, but the veteran executive has already been preparing his strategy to take the reins without delay. It is not a surprise: Intel is going through a delicate moment and tan, ex-care of Cadence and member of the Board of Directors of Intel until 2023, it has been One of the toughest critics of the management of Pat Gelsinger. According to Reuters, his plan for the company will revolve around two fundamental pillars that will mark the future of the semiconductor giant.
- Intel Foundry: The chips manufacturing division for third parties, created in 2021 under the IDM 2.0 strategy. In its launch, it was a statement of intentions: Intel wanted to become a key actor in the semiconductor industry and compete directly with TSMC and Samsung. However, the results have been irregular. Although the company has clients such as Microsoft and Amazon, its growth remains below expectations. The priority of such will be to promote Intel Foundry aggressively, attracting new partners and ensuring strategic contracts that reinforce their position in the sector. “Lip-Bu will spend a lot of time listening to customers, partners and employees to position the business for the future,” said an Intel spokesman for Reuters.
- Artificial intelligence: An area where Intel has been behind. Santa Clara’s company has seen how Nvidia has taken the lead in specialized hardware for AI, while her own strategy in this field has been erratic. So seeks to reorient Intel’s efforts in artificial intelligence, beyond servers chips. Its plan includes an impulse in software, robotics and language models, with the aim of returning to Intel a relevant role in one of the most disruptive technologies of the moment.
But this transformation will bring template cuts, mainly in intermediate controls. So it has been pointing out that Intel has lost agility and that its structure has grown disproportionately, making decisions difficult and slowing down innovation. According to sources close to the company, it considers that the key is not only to reduce the size of the workforce, but also to change the corporate culture of Intel, eliminating the risk aversion that its competitiveness has hurt in recent years. The challenge is huge. The question is whether he will do what his predecessors could not: return Intel to the place he occupied for decades.
Images | Intel | Rubaitul Azad | Martin Katler
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