The day after Trump called the chief of Intel “ conflictual ”, the former administrators call for a new company, a new board of directors and a new CEO

In a rare collective declaration provided exclusively to FortuneThe former administrators said that the fate of the CEO LIP-BU Tan should be decided by the shareholders of Intel, but called for a radical restructuring which would turn the Intel manufacturing arm in an independent enterprise to guarantee American domination of flea manufacturing.

Note that this case should rightly be decided by the current Intel council and its shareholders, the group – Charlene Barshefsky, Reed Hundt, James Plummer and David Yoffie, pointed out that the company was on its fourth CEO in seven years with little improvement in the results. They argued that only a dramatic break could restore the competitiveness of Intel, and they pleaded for special treatment for Intel’s “foundry” activities, manufacturing assets from which Intel produces semiconductor chips for its own products and for third-party customers. These advanced flea manufacturing facilities are increasingly in mind for President Donald Trump, his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, and the whole technological industry that looks at the drama takes place.

Intel has long been the leader of chips but has lagged behind on Nvidia, TSMC and other players in recent years, while Barshefsky, Hundt, Plummer and Yoffie have argued in the pages of pages of Fortune. Intel has two main companies, one being the foundry and the other being simply called Intel Products, which includes its PC and server flagship microprocessors, as well as networking equipment and software. Both are essential for IT, but only the foundry is the key to national security, which was a key point in the trade negotiations between Trump and Xi. The former group of directors argued that the division of the chip manufacturing entity from the rest of Intel would directly address market competitiveness and the strategic need for advanced semiconductors of the country.

To make the new competitive manufacturing company with TSMC, the former administrators called to remain funds under the flea law to acquire Intel manufacturing assets and create a new independent manufacturing entity, as this “would persuade American design companies to place orders”. This would position the new company to be able to provide an alternative to TSMC, “both for the cutting -edge chips necessary for a data center and for other commercial purposes and for national security requirements”.

Mounting pressure

The declaration comes as the pressure on Intel is intensifying, after President Donald Trump publicly called for the resignation of the CEO LIP-BU Tan on his “conflictual” status and his alleged links with Chinese technological companies. Trump’s request, published on Truth Social Thursday morning, sent shock waves through American technological circles and has drawn rapid responses from the company.

Tan responded in a letter to the staff, published publicly on the Intel website, saying that there was a “disinformation” on his career and his roles of previous leadership. The besieged CEO said that Intel “joined” with Trump’s White House to “approach the questions that have been raised and make sure they have the facts”. He added that he fully shares the president’s commitment to advance national and economic security in the United States.

The intervention of President Trump followed the warnings of Senator Tom Cotton concerning the reports of previous investments of TAN in Chinese companies, some would have been linked to the Chinese soldiers. Trump’s demand for an immediate change in the CEO caused a 3% drop in Intel shares on Thursday, aggravating discord at the commission level and market concerns concerning stagnation and loss of land for competitors such as NVIDIA and AMD.

In his note to the staff on Thursday, Tan defended his integrity and said that the current council was “fully favorable” to the work currently underway at Intel, while insisting that throughout his four decades in the industry, he “always worked in the highest legal and ethical standards”.

Intel did not immediately respond to a request for comments.

In a previous statement to FortuneHowever, the company has resumed criticism, claiming that its board of directors and the CEO LIP-BU Tan are “deeply determined to advance American national and economic interests” and made “significant investments aligned on the president’s first program in America”.

Intel noted that it has been manufactured in the United States for 56 years and has been investing billions of dollars in R&D and the manufacture of interior semiconductors, including a new Arizona FAB which manages the most advanced process technology in the country. The company added that it was “the only company investing in the development of logical process nodes in the United States” and said it impatiently awaited “a continuous commitment to the administration”.

Correction: A previous version of this story wrongly indicated that the four former directors called for the eviction of the CEO of Intel. The group of former administrators said Intel shareholders should make the CEO’s decision.