Michelle Johnston Holthaus, Intel's Chief Product Officer, has unveiled a pivotal shift in the company's strategy, setting a benchmark gross margin of 50% as a prerequisite for project approval. Projects failing to meet this criterion will not be greenlit. Holthaus emphasized that this threshold aligns with shareholders' aspirations and competitive benchmarks, underscoring the critical role of meticulous product lifecycle planning in bolstering gross margins. To navigate this path, Intel intends to intensify pre-silicon validation efforts, curtail costs associated with iterative tape-outs, and exercise greater prudence in managing incentives for PC Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs).