The clock is ticking loudly for Intel's new boss

Investors have so far welcomed Tan, sending Intel's stock up 10% since his appointment in March

- Dan Gallagher & Asa Fitch

Two weeks is admittedly not a lot of time in a new job. But time isn't really on Lip-Bu Tan's side.

Tan became Intel's new chief executive on March 18 and has already started laying out some of his vision for the storied-but-troubled chip giant. In a letter to THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, shareholders filed with the company's annual report Thursday, Tan spoke of the need to "up our game" to make Intel's products more competitive in the crucial market for artificial-intelligence systems. He also said he was "equally focused" on building up the foundry business—where Intel manufactures chips designed by other companies.

In other words, the same things Intel's last CEO was trying to accomplish. Tan reiterated those points in a speech on Monday kicking off the company's Intel Vision conference. Beyond a few aspirations including a better AI strategy and custom-built chips for niche computing work, there was little to distinguish the Tan playbook from his predecessor's. "Stay tuned" for Intel's plans on humanoid robots, he told the audience.