GOP Sen. Tom Cotton questions new Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan over alleged

GOP Sen. Tom Cotton questions new Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan over alleged

A top Republican senator demanded new Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan reveal if he has any ties to China’s Communist Party and army – citing nationwide safety issues.

In a letter despatched Wednesday to Intel Chairman Frank Leary, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) wrote that he’s involved “about the security and integrity of Intel’s operations and its potential impact on US national security,” according to a replica of the letter obtained by The Post.

Tan changed ousted Intel chief Pat Gelsinger in March — a 12 months after the struggling firm was awarded a whopping $8 billion in Biden-era CHIPs Act funding.

Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan talking on stage in Taiwan in May. REUTERS

Cotton’s missive got here after a report earlier this 12 months claimed Tan invested not less than $200 million across a whole lot of Chinese corporations between March 2012 and December 2024.

Some of these superior manufacturing and semiconductor corporations have been linked to the Chinese Communist Party and army, Reuters reported in April.

In his letter, Cotton questioned whether or not the board had required Tan to divest from these stakes before assuming the CEO position.

The senator requested whether or not Tan had disclosed his remaining investments to the US authorities, since Intel has a duty as a major recipient of federal funding.

He also demanded to know whether or not the board was conscious of subpoenas concentrating on Cadence Design – which Tan ran from 2008 to 2021 – before it employed him.

“Intel and Mr. Tan are deeply committed to the national security of the United States and the integrity of our role in the US defense ecosystem,” an Intel spokesperson told The Post.

Intel added that it is going to tackle the matter with Cotton, who requested for responses by Aug. 15.

Sen. Tom Cotton despatched a letter to Intel’s chairman with issues about Lip-Bu Tan’s reported ties to China. ZUMAPRESS.com

“Intel is required to be a responsible steward of American taxpayer dollars and to comply with applicable security regulations,” Cotton wrote within the letter.

“Mr. Tan’s associations raise questions about Intel’s ability to fulfill these obligations.”

In 2024, Intel was awarded $8.5 billion in CHIPs funding under the Secure Enclave program, a nationwide safety initiative to make safe microchips for protection and intelligence purposes.

Later that 12 months, the federal government slashed that determine by more than $600 million to about $7.85 billion. Intel still ranks as one of many top corporations receiving the most federal funding.

Intel ranks as one of many top corporations receiving the most federal funding. Getty Images

A source aware of the matter told Reuters in April that Tan had divested from his positions in Chinese corporations.

The outlet reported on the time that Chinese databases still listed many of his investments as current.

While it’s not unlawful for US residents to carry stakes in Chinese corporations, there’s a US Treasury record of banned Chinese corporations.

Reuters reported earlier this 12 months that Tan was not invested instantly in any firm on that record.

Meanwhile, Cadence Design last week agreed to plead responsible and pay more than $140 million to settle fees that it offered its chips to a Chinese army college, according to a Reuters report.

The establishment was believed to be concerned in simulating nuclear blasts, according to the report.

Those gross sales befell under Tan’s management at Cadence. After stepping down as CEO in 2021, Tan stayed on at Cadence as govt chairman by May 2023.

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