Intel chief executive Lip-Bu Tan says the Trump administration has no policy to use its minority stake to influence the chipmaker's strategy. "They don't have any influence on the governance of the company," he told Nikkei in Tokyo. The US government converted federal funding into an $8.9 billion investment last year, giving it a 9.9% stake, later diluted to around 8.2%. The stake is passive, with no board seat. Tan said government backing helps Intel make the long-term investments a competitive foundry business needs. He said Intel is "80% done" with its restructuring, and named AI-related chip packaging and application-specific integrated circuits as other growth areas. Asked about China's chip industry, Tan said: "Today, I think it's not that far behind.

Intel shares fell 3.94% to $91.61 at 11:17 ET on October 16 after TSMC said it can support customers if rival advanced-packaging capacity falls short. The comment raises the stakes for Intel's expansion, though nothing shows Intel has lost a customer or order. Intel's Foundry unit posted $5.765 billion in second-quarter revenue and a $2.089 billion operating loss, about 36.2% of segment revenue. The figures cover the whole Foundry business, not packaging alone, and include internal transactions. The share price stands 182.92% above GuruFocus's $32.38 GF Value estimate. Investors appear to be paying for a turnaround that still requires packaging milestones, production at scale, and narrower losses.

UNG expands access to AI tools for rural businesses. The University of North Georgia (UNG) plans to provide 34 rural north Georgia business owners with agentic AI tools and practical training aimed at improving competitiveness, protecting jobs and supporting growth. The effort focuses on helping Lumpkin County businesses apply the technology to everyday operations rather than simply react to changes in the workplace. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Business Development Grant program is supporting the initiative with a $97,300 grant. Five farmers/ranchers will be included among the participants, and participating businesses will receive $1,000 apiece in professional AI tools, along with training on their use. UNG's partnership with Intel includes an Agentic AI certificate focused on responsible AI development and no-code workflows that can automate complex tasks. The initial cohort starts in January, with additional cohorts launching in the following months. Participant Brian Shapiro, owner of KMS Renovations in Dahlonega, expects the support to help with marketing, customer communication, scheduling, bookkeeping and business planning. The initiative also provides technical assistance, with the goal of making useful AI capabilities accessible to working Georgians without programming expertise.