Intel has tightened its ties with the current US administration, appointing an economic advisor to President Trump as its new head of government affairs, as reported by Reuters. On top of that, it has installed Lip-Bu Tan associate, Jason Chew, as head of what must be the newly created position of "Intel Government Technologies," to oversee the company's business dealings with the US government.
Intel's relationship with President Trump and his administration has been a rollercoaster this past year. It seemed earlier this year that the President would pressure Intel to release its new CEO, but Lip-Bu Tan seems to have won Trump over after a personal meeting between the pair, and ultimately decided the US government would take a 10% stake in Intel. Since then, the company's stock price has soared, and it's received further investments from Nvidia.
The newly appointed head of government affairs at Intel is Robin Colwell. She's a former deputy assistant to President Trump and deputy director of the National Economic Council. She takes over the vacant position, previously left by Bruce Andrews, who resigned the role after the November 2024 elections.
“Robin’s broad experience and deep understanding of complex legal and policy environments will be invaluable to Intel,” said Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan. “She has a rare ability to navigate dynamic policy environments and deliver outcomes that benefit businesses, policymakers, and the communities they serve.”
James Chew doesn't have direct experience with President Trump or the government, but is an old colleague of Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan. He previously worked at Cadence Design Systems, the US chip design firm that was fined $140 million this year for its covert dealings with Chinese companies working on nuclear explosion simulations. Bu-Tan was the ex-CEO of that same company. A link senators have shown concern with previously.
Chew and Colwell will reportedly work closely together to strengthen the government affairs team.
Intel also announced a new appointment to lead communication and marketing, in Annie Shea Weckesser. She previously worked for an AI deployment company, SambaNova, a firm that Intel is reportedly in talks to acquire.
Intel has a new interim CTO, too, in Pushkar Ranade, who also serves as chief of staff to the CEO. That follows Intel's previous CTO and head of AI, Sanchin Katti, exiting Intel to join OpenAI in November.
“It is vital that Intel incubate and develop strategically important emerging technologies that will serve as building blocks for computing systems and platforms of the future," Bu-Tan said in a statement. "Pushkar is intimately familiar with our Products strategy as well as our Foundry strategy, and I am delighted that he will work closely with me to develop our advanced technology strategy and roadmap."
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