David Bridges
Key Points
- Government Stake: The US government is reportedly considering acquiring a 10 percent stake in Intel to support domestic chip manufacturing.
- Funding Conversion: There are discussions about converting $10.86 billion in federal grants into equity for Intel.
- Construction Delays: Intel has faced delays in its Ohio semiconductor facility construction and is slowing the project’s pace.
- Leadership Support: Despite prior tensions, President Trump appears to have a more positive outlook on Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan.
Intel has had some recent struggles in delivering results for its shareholders, but the company could soon be answering to an additional boss. The current administration is reportedly in talks to have the US government acquire a stake in the chipmaker. Bloomberg first reported the news without specifics about the size or value of the potential share the government wants to buy. According to a newer report by Bloomberg and The New York Times, the Trump administration is looking to take a 10 percent stake in Intel as part of its efforts to give domestic chip manufacturing a boost.
The administration is reportedly considering converting the $10.86 billion in federal grants Intel is getting from the US Chips and Science Act into equity instead. It’s still early days, and the White House is still deciding on the exact size of the stake. Intel initially shared plans to construct a semiconductor facility in Ohio in 2022 while Pat Gelsinger was still at the helm of the company. Since then, the project has faced delays, and at its latest quarterly earnings report, execs said Intel would “slow the pace” on the Ohio construction, as well as scrapping other international building plans and making workforce cuts.
The potential for government ownership of Intel is the latest swing of the administration’s attitude toward the company. A few days after calling for his resignation over connections to China, President Donald Trump met with CEO Lip-Bu Tan and seemed to now hold a more positive outlook on the company leader.
A representative from Intel told Bloomberg in a statement that the company is “deeply committed to supporting President Trump’s efforts to strengthen US technology and manufacturing leadership. We look forward to continuing our work with the Trump administration to advance these shared priorities, but we are not going to comment on rumors or speculation.”
Update, August 18 2025, 10:31AM ET: This story has been updated to include new reports that the Trump administration is looking to take a 10 percent stake in Intel.
Daniel Mercer
