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原文標題：
Intel board member quit after differences over chipmaker's revival plan

原文連結：路透社

發布時間：August 27, 202410:51 PM GMT+8

記者署名： Max A. Cherney

原文內容：

據三位熟悉此事的消息人士透露，
英特爾(INTC.O.)事會成員陳立武（Lip-Bu Tan）突然辭職，
原因是他與首席執行官Pat Gelsinger及其他董事，
在該董事認為的臃腫的編制、迴避風險的文化以及落後的AI戰略等問題上存在分歧。

半導體業資深人士陳立武（Lip-Bu Tan）在週四提交的一份監管文件中表示，
他離開董事會是因為個人決定「重新安排各種承諾的優先順序」，
他仍然「支持公司及其重要工作」。

這位晶片軟體公司 Cadence 的前執行長在兩年前加入英特爾董事會，
作為恢復英特爾全球晶片製造商領導地位計劃的一部分。
2023 年 10 月，董事會擴大 Tan 的職責，授權他監督製造業務。
據匿名消息人士透露，隨著時間的推移，
Tan 對公司龐大的員工編制、該公司對於晶圓代工的應對，
以及英特爾的風險迴避官僚文化感到沮喪。

這位備受投資人肯定的產業資深人士卻因英特爾的策略而離職，
凸顯了英特爾轉型的不確定性。

Tan的離任，使董事會缺少對晶片產業的敏銳度，
因為其他董事會成員都來自學術或金融領域，
或是來自醫療、科技和航空產業的前高階主管。


裁員計畫也是Tan和董事會看法分歧的一環。
Tan想要的是針對性的裁員，特別是針對和工程研發無關的中間管理層。

對Tan和幾位前管理層來說，英特爾的員工編制非常臃腫：

這些人阻礙了英特爾伺服器和桌上型電腦晶片部門的進展，
因此裁員應集中在這些人身上。

英特爾前高管表示，英特爾的員工數目比Nvidia和台積電的總和還要多，
這導致英特爾的文化自滿且缺乏競爭力，
這與英特爾共同創辦人安迪-格魯夫(Andy Grove)曾說過的
「只有偏執者才能生存」精神相去甚遠。


英特爾的轉虧為盈方案有賴於建立與台積電類似的代工業務，
但該公司尚未揭露任何大客戶，並表示該業務預計要到 2027 年才能轉虧為盈。

英特爾去年嘗試以 54 億美元收購以色列晶片製造商高塔半導體，
但因中國阻撓而告吹。
如果併購成功，英特爾將獲得一個專門從事代工的組織，
而英特爾從來沒有在這方面成功過。

據四位熟悉英特爾製造業務的消息人士透露，
如果沒有高塔，
英特爾這家歷史悠久的IDM缺乏與外部客戶合作的需要專業知識，
而英特爾一直在努力吸引外部客戶。

一位與 Tan關係密切的人士表示，
Tan對於董事會不採納他的建議，
去讓代工業務更以客戶為中心，
以及去除不必要的官僚作風感到沮喪。

The sudden resignation of a high-profile Intel (INTC.O) board member came
after differences with CEO Pat Gelsinger and other directors over what the
director considered the U.S. company's bloated workforce, risk-averse
culture and lagging artificial intelligence strategy, according to three
sources familiar with the matter.

Lip-Bu Tan, a semiconductor industry veteran, had said he was leaving the
board because of a personal decision to “reprioritize various commitments”
and that he remained “supportive of the company and its important work,” in
a regulatory filing on Thursday.

The former CEO of chip-software company Cadence Design joined Intel’s board
two years ago as part of a plan to restore Intel’s place as the leading
global chipmaker. The board expanded Tan’s responsibilities in October 2023,
authorizing him to oversee manufacturing operations.

Over time, Tan grew frustrated by the company’s large workforce, its
approach to contract manufacturing and Intel’s risk-averse and bureaucratic
culture, according to the sources, who were not authorized to speak publicly.

The circumstances around Tan’s exit have not previously been reported. The
departure of the industry veteran, who is well-regarded by investors, over
Intel's strategy illustrates the uncertainty of its turnaround efforts.

Tan leaves as the company endures one of the bleakest periods in its
five-decade history that has left it vulnerable to a potential activist
shareholder attack, former executives said. Intel has hired investment bank
Morgan Stanley to prepare a defense, according to sources familiar with the
matter, confirming an earlier report.

Intel, headquartered in California, declined to comment. Tan’s venture
capital firm, Walden Catalyst, did not respond to a request for comment.

Tan’s exit leaves a vacuum of chip-industry technical and business acumen on
the board, which is populated by leaders in academia and finance, and former
senior executives from the medical, tech and aerospace industries, say
investors and semiconductor industry insiders.

Former Intel executives told Reuters the company began preparing for a
potential activist threat months ago. Reuters could not independently confirm
if any shareholders were preparing an approach.

‘ONLY THE PARANOID SURVIVE’

This month, Intel paused its dividend that it had been paying for decades
when it reported results and plans to reduce capital spending on factory
construction. The next day, investors wiped more than $30 billion from its
market value, or more than a quarter of its worth.

Intel’s struggles are occurring against the backdrop of aggressive
investment and sales from rivals swept up by the surge of interest in
artificial intelligence. The AI boom turned graphics chipmaker Nvidia (NVDA.O)
, opens new tab into a $3-trillion market-cap company. Intel passed on an
opportunity in 2018 to take as much as a 30% stake in ChatGPT-maker OpenAI,
Reuters previously reported.

Intel acquired at least two AI startups, among more than four efforts since
2010 to build a blockbuster AI chip, according to former executives. Even
though its Habana acquisition yielded promising AI chips, its senior leaders
left to form a rival effort in Israel, hurting Intel's program, two sources
said.

To cut costs, Intel announced in August layoffs of more than 15% of its
workforce, its second round of cuts in two years. Intel had nearly 125,300
employees globally according to its August financial results.

The layoff plan was one source of tension between Tan and the board,
according to sources. Tan wanted specific cuts, including middle managers who
do not contribute to Intel's engineering efforts.

Gelsinger, who took over in 2021 as part of a turnaround plan, added at least
20,000 employees to Intel's payroll by 2022.

To Tan and some former Intel executives, the workforce appeared bloated.
Teams on some projects were as much as five times larger than others doing
comparable work at rivals such as Advanced Micro Devices, according to
two sources. One former executive said Intel should have cut double the
number it announced in August years ago.

Tan has told people he believed Intel was overrun by bureaucratic layers of
middle managers who impeded progress at Intel’s server and desktop chips
divisions and the cuts should have focused on these people.
Intel's workforce, which is larger than those of Nvidia and Taiwan
Semiconductor Manufacturing Co combined, has led to a complacent and
uncompetitive culture, far from the “only-the-paranoid-survive” ethos
of Intel co-founder Andy Grove, former Intel executives said.

MANUFACTURING STRUGGLE

Intel’s turnaround plan relies on building its foundry business, which helps
other companies manufacture chips, similar to TSMC. But the company has not
disclosed a big customer and has said the business is not expected to turn a
profit until 2027.

An attempt last year to break into contract-manufacturing through a
$5.4-billion purchase of Israel-based chip manufacturer Tower Semiconductor
was scuttled after China blocked the deal. Intel would have obtained an
organization dedicated to contract chipmaking, something Intel has never done
successfully.

Without Tower, Intel, historically a maker of its own chips, lacks the
expertise to work with external customers, which it has struggled to attract,
according to four sources familiar with Intel’s manufacturing business.

Tan grew frustrated as the board did not follow his recommendations over how
to make the manufacturing business more customer-centric and to remove
unnecessary bureaucracy, a person close to Tan said.

Intel has continued to build new factories in Ohio, Arizona and across Europe
without naming new customers.


心得/評論：

根據這篇報導 Intel董事會好不容易聘來外部的半導體產業老將陳立武

但人家提出建議想讓代工業務上軌道 卻不鳥他

終於成功趕跑這不長眼的外人了！！


Intel上次想搞代工也是死在文化問題上──根本不懂得如何服務外部客戶

這樣看來除非董事會願意上美光來的那個新負責人大破大立

感覺真的是不太樂觀啊

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※ 作者: kougousei 2024-08-28 06:35:33
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