Intel has chosen its chief operating officer, Brian Krzanich, as its new CEO.
He will steer the world's largest chipmaker in a world where PC sales are plummeting, while smartphones and tablets thrive.
Mr Krzanich will replace Paul Otellini on 16 May, at the company's annual meeting.
Mr Otellini had announced his decision to resign in November.
52-year-old Mr Krzanich has worked at Intel Corp since 1982. The COO job is the traditional stepping-stone to the CEO post at Intel; both Mr Otellini and his predecessor Craig Barrett held that job before becoming CEO.
The change in command comes at a critical time for Intel.
After thriving for decades as the dominant seller of PC microprocessors, the company is scrambling to prove it can make chips that work well on smartphones and tablet computers.
Qualcomm Inc and other chip makers have gotten the upper hand in the mobile-device market so far, undercutting Intel's financial performance and standing among investors.
Last year, both Intel's earnings and stock price fell by 15% from 2011, but sales of chips to business PCs and servers are helping prop up performance.
Intel's board was not entirely satisfied with Otellini's performance last year.
To reflect its disappointment, the board's compensation committee trimmed the cash portion of Mr Otellini's incentive pay by 19% from the previous year to $5.23 million.
The other internal candidates for the CEO post were Renee James, head of Intel's software business, and Stacy Smith, chief financial officer and director of corporate strategy.
Intel has now promoted James to president.
Mr Otellini will be ending a nearly 40-year career with Intel, including an eight-year stint as CEO by the time he leaves.
He joined the Santa Clara, California, company after having graduated from the nearby University of California at Berkeley and worked his way up the ranks before succeeding Mr Barrett as CEO in May 2005.
