Lip-Bu Tan

Lip-Bu Tan
Tan in 2025
Lip-Bu Tan
Born	12 11, 1959
Birthplace	Muar, Federation of Malaya
Occupation	Business executive, venture capitalist
Title	Chief Executive Officer, Intel Corporation
Employer	Intel Corporation
Known for	CEO of Intel Corporation (2025–present); CEO of Cadence Design Systems (2009–2021); Chairman of Walden International
Education	Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.S.)

Lip-Bu Tan (Template:Zh; born November 12, 1959) is a Malaysian-born American business executive who has served as the chief executive officer (CEO) of Intel Corporation since 2025. A figure whose career spans the semiconductor, electronic design automation (EDA), and venture capital industries, Tan built his reputation through more than a decade leading Cadence Design Systems as CEO from 2009 to 2021, during which he transformed the company into one of the leading EDA firms globally. He is also chairman of Walden International, an international venture capital firm he has led since its founding, and a founding managing partner of Walden Catalyst Ventures and Celesta Capital. Tan has held board positions at numerous technology companies and has been recognized as one of the most well-connected individuals in the technology industry. His appointment as Intel CEO came at a pivotal moment for the company, as it sought to execute a major turnaround in its foundry business and compete in the rapidly growing market for artificial intelligence chips.

Early Life

Lip-Bu Tan was born on November 12, 1959, in Muar, a town in the state of Johor in what was then the Federation of Malaya (present-day Malaysia). He is of Chinese Malaysian heritage, with his Chinese name rendered as 陳立武 (Chén Lìwǔ in Mandarin; Tân Li̍p-Bú in Hokkien).

Tan grew up in Southeast Asia before pursuing higher education in the United States, a path common among ambitious students from the region during the late 1970s and 1980s. Details of his childhood and family background in Muar remain limited in publicly available records, though his subsequent career trajectory suggests an early interest in engineering, technology, and business.

After completing his undergraduate studies, Tan moved to the United States for graduate education, ultimately settling in the country and becoming a U.S. citizen. His upbringing in Malaysia and subsequent life in the United States gave him a cross-cultural perspective that would prove instrumental in his later career in international venture capital and global technology businesses.

Education

Tan pursued graduate studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he earned a Master of Science degree. His education at MIT provided him with a strong technical foundation in engineering and technology that would underpin his career in the semiconductor and EDA industries, as well as in venture capital investing focused on deep technology companies.

Career

Walden International and Venture Capital

Tan founded and became chairman of Walden International, a venture capital firm focused on technology investments with a particular emphasis on cross-border opportunities between the United States and Asia. Under Tan's leadership, Walden International established itself as one of the prominent venture capital firms investing in technology companies across Silicon Valley, China, and other parts of the Asia-Pacific region.

A 2001 profile in Forbes highlighted Tan's role in bridging the technology investment landscapes of the United States and Asia, noting his extensive network and deal-making abilities across multiple continents. Through Walden International, Tan invested in a wide range of technology startups spanning semiconductors, software, digital media, and internet companies.

A 2004 BusinessWeek profile further documented Tan's prominence in the venture capital world and his role as a connector between Silicon Valley and Asian technology markets.

In a 2013 interview with the Economic Times, Tan discussed his venture capital strategy, noting that he was actively looking for promising startups to invest in across emerging markets, including India.

Beyond Walden International, Tan later became a founding managing partner of Walden Catalyst Ventures and Celesta Capital, further expanding his venture capital activities. His investment portfolio over the decades has encompassed hundreds of technology companies at various stages of development.

Tan has also been involved in philanthropic activities, including support for educational institutions. In 2019, Carnegie Mellon University received a $6 million gift for two computer science initiatives, with Tan's involvement noted in the announcement.

Cadence Design Systems

Tan's association with Cadence Design Systems, one of the world's largest electronic design automation companies, began in 2004 when he was elected to the company's board of directors. His appointment to the board brought venture capital expertise and deep connections within the semiconductor industry to the EDA firm.

In January 2009, Tan was named CEO of Cadence Design Systems, taking over at a challenging period for the company. The appointment was seen as a significant move, bringing a venture capitalist and industry connector to lead a major EDA company that had been experiencing leadership transitions and strategic uncertainties.

In a 2011 interview with the San Jose Mercury News, Tan discussed his approach to leading Cadence, emphasizing the importance of close collaboration with semiconductor customers and a focus on innovation in design tools that supported the industry's transition to more advanced process technologies.

During his tenure as CEO from 2009 to 2021, Tan oversaw a period of significant growth and transformation at Cadence. Under his leadership, the company expanded its product portfolio beyond traditional EDA tools into areas such as system design and analysis, computational software, and intellectual property (IP) licensing. Cadence's market capitalization and revenue grew substantially during this period, and the company became one of the top-performing technology stocks.

Tan served as CEO of Cadence until 2021, stepping down after more than twelve years at the helm. His leadership of Cadence was characterized by steady strategic execution, a focus on research and development, and successful navigation of the semiconductor industry's cyclical dynamics.

Intel Corporation

Appointment as CEO

Tan was appointed CEO of Intel Corporation in 2025, succeeding Pat Gelsinger. His appointment came at a critical juncture for the iconic semiconductor company, which was grappling with manufacturing challenges, increasing competition from rivals such as AMD, Nvidia, and TSMC, and the need to execute an ambitious foundry strategy.

In an internal message to Intel employees dated August 7, 2025, Tan addressed the workforce directly, acknowledging the challenges facing the company while outlining his commitment to Intel's turnaround. The message, later published by Intel's newsroom, signaled Tan's intent to bring a new leadership approach to the company, drawing on his decades of experience in the semiconductor ecosystem as both a technology executive and investor.

Foundry Strategy and Manufacturing

A central focus of Tan's leadership at Intel has been the company's foundry business, which aims to manufacture chips for external customers in addition to Intel's own products. In early 2026, Tan outlined the progress of Intel's foundry turnaround at industry conferences, discussing yield improvements on the company's Intel 18A process technology and the roadmap for its successor, 14A.

At the conference, Tan described the foundry turnaround as a "complex" undertaking, reflecting the significant technical and organizational challenges involved in making Intel competitive with established foundry leaders such as TSMC and Samsung Foundry.

GPU Strategy and AI Competition

In February 2026, Tan announced that Intel was making a significant push into the graphics processing unit (GPU) market, a segment dominated by Nvidia and critical to the booming artificial intelligence industry. He revealed that Intel had appointed a new chief architect to lead the development of GPUs, signaling the company's intent to compete more aggressively in the AI hardware space.

The move was widely interpreted as a direct challenge to Nvidia, with media coverage characterizing the GPU hiring as Tan "sending a message" to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.

Industry Demand and Memory Shortage

In his public appearances in early 2026, Tan described unprecedented demand from technology companies for Intel's products, driven by the global AI boom. In one widely reported comment, he noted that "almost every CEO is calling me up" to secure chip supply, illustrating the intense competition for semiconductor capacity amid the AI revolution.

Tan also addressed the industry-wide memory chip shortage, stating in February 2026 that there would be "no relief" on the memory shortage until at least 2028, a forecast that underscored the supply constraints facing the broader technology industry.

Investor Reception

Tan's leadership and strategic communications have generated a positive reception among some investors. In February 2026, financial media reported that Tan had delivered what was characterized as "fantastic news" for Intel shareholders, discussing the company's progress on its turnaround plan and roadmap execution.

However, analysts have also cautioned that the turnaround plan faces significant obstacles. A subsequent analysis noted that Intel's stock had "gotten way ahead of Lip-Bu Tan's turnaround plans," raising questions about whether investor expectations had outpaced the company's ability to deliver results in the near term.

Board Memberships and Industry Roles

Throughout his career, Tan has served on the boards of directors of numerous technology companies, reflecting his extensive network across the semiconductor and technology industries. His board service has included positions at major public companies as well as private startups backed by his venture capital firms. A 2017 analysis by MarketWatch identified Tan as one of the most well-connected people in the technology industry, based on his extensive web of board positions and professional relationships.

Tan has also contributed to academic research and has publications indexed in the DBLP computer science bibliography.

Personal Life

Tan resides in the United States, having settled in the country after completing his graduate studies at MIT. He became a U.S. citizen while maintaining connections to his Malaysian heritage and to the broader Asian technology ecosystem through his venture capital activities.

Tan has been involved in various nonprofit and philanthropic activities over the course of his career. His philanthropic interests have included support for educational institutions, including Carnegie Mellon University's computer science programs.

An oral history interview with Tan is preserved in the collections of the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, documenting his career and contributions to the technology industry.

Recognition

Tan has received recognition throughout his career for his contributions to the technology and venture capital industries. His identification by MarketWatch in 2017 as one of the most well-connected people in the technology industry reflected his unusual position at the intersection of semiconductor engineering, electronic design automation, and venture capital investing.

His career has been the subject of profiles in major business publications, including Forbes and BusinessWeek, which documented his role as a bridge between Silicon Valley and Asian technology markets during the early 2000s.

The Computer History Museum's decision to conduct and preserve an oral history with Tan further reflects his standing as a notable figure in the history of the semiconductor and technology industries.

His appointment as CEO of Intel, one of the most consequential roles in the global semiconductor industry, represented the culmination of a career that had traversed venture capital, electronic design automation, and corporate governance across the technology sector.

Legacy

Lip-Bu Tan's career represents a distinctive trajectory in the technology industry, combining roles as a venture capitalist, corporate executive, and board director into a career that has touched many of the semiconductor industry's most important companies and transitions. His leadership of Cadence Design Systems over twelve years demonstrated an ability to execute long-term strategic transformation in the EDA sector, while his venture capital activities through Walden International, Walden Catalyst Ventures, and Celesta Capital provided him with an unusually broad view of the global technology landscape.

His appointment as CEO of Intel placed him at the center of one of the most closely watched corporate turnaround efforts in the technology industry. The challenges facing Intel at the time of his appointment—including competition from TSMC in advanced manufacturing, from Nvidia in AI accelerators, and from AMD in data center processors—made the role one of the most demanding in the semiconductor sector. Tan's strategy of pursuing both the foundry business and a renewed push into GPU and AI hardware reflected his ambitious vision for restoring Intel's competitiveness across multiple fronts.

As a Malaysian-born American who built his career bridging Silicon Valley and Asia, Tan also represents the increasingly global nature of leadership in the semiconductor industry, an industry whose supply chains, customer bases, and talent pools span multiple continents.