When Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan was getting ready last week to announce a $15 billion sale of stock, he called his biggest investor: US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. The government decided not to participate in the new stock sale, Intel’s first since 1971, which will fund AI projects including its delayed Ohio chip factory, according to people familiar with the matter. Intel has identified an anchor investor to backstop the secondary sale, which has now been upsized to $20 billion, said one of the people. But it’s a vote of confidence in Intel’s turnaround and a sign that Intel can sustain itself with private money. Spokespeople for Intel and the Commerce Department declined to comment.