India, Aug. 11 -- The U.S.-China semiconductor confrontation is entering a new phase where political scrutiny of corporate leaders is becoming as potent a force as export controls. Intel's Chief Executive Officer Lip-Bu Tan faces a storm of political and investor pressure over his ties to Chinese companies.

Applied Materials' CEO, Gary Dickerson, is increasingly in the crosshairs of a widening U.S. investigation into whether American semiconductor equipment has been illegally shipped to China's leading chipmakers. These parallel developments underscore the fragility of U.S. corporate positioning in a market where national security concerns and commercial opportunity are colliding.

Intel's leadership crisis

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