Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan defended his integrity and vowed to continue leading the semiconductor company through a "critical moment."

President Donald Trump urged the chief executive officer of Intel Corp. to resign over what he called conflicts of interest, injecting fresh turmoil at a company already struggling to stem losses and eke out relevance in the artificial intelligence age.

Lip-Bu Tan began working as Intel CEO in March. Since then, he scaled back projects and reduced headcount in efforts to rightsize the chip maker.