Intel's future chips will have new layers of protection via something called "partitioning," according to Krzanich. "Think of this ... as additional 'protective walls' between applications and user privilege levels to create an obstacle for bad actors," he said.

The changes will start with Xeon Scalable "Cascade Lake" processors and 8th-generation Core chips shipping in the second half of this year. Intel didn't say if or how much the hardware changes would impact PC speeds, but Krzanich said that "as we bring these products to market, ensuring that they deliver the performance improvements people expect from us is critical. "

Intel has been criticized for downplaying the extent and impact of the Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities, especially when the news first broke. At one point, the company was called before Congress to explain its actions, and Krzanich has since promised more transparency. Intel is currently facing around 30 class-action lawsuits related to the breach.