Intel Corp. (NASDAQ:INTC) outlined its next phase in artificial intelligence on Monday, betting on lower-cost AI inference hardware and in-house manufacturing as it seeks to regain ground in a market dominated by NVIDIA Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA).
Intel Targets AI Inferenace Market With New Chip
Intel plans to begin limited shipments of its new AI-focused GPU, Crescent Island, by the end of 2026.
Kevork Kechichian, who leads Intel’s data-center group, told the Financial Times on Monday that the company is rebuilding its AI capabilities by focusing on inference workloads rather than AI model training, where NVIDIA currently dominates.
He noted that Intel learned from the disappointing performance of its Gaudi AI chip program and decided not to target the training market at this stage directly.
Kechichian Highlights Lower-Cost AI Infrastructure Approach
Kechichian said Intel designed Crescent Island to address key cost challenges facing AI customers.
Unlike competing chips from NVIDIA and Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD) that rely on expensive high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and liquid-cooling systems, Intel’s new GPU uses lower-cost LPDDR5 memory and air cooling.
He added that Intel is evaluating whether certain versions of the chip could be sold in China while complying with U.S. export restrictions, citing demand for products at that price point.
Intel Pushes In-House Manufacturing Strategy
Under CEO Lip-Bu Tan, Intel is also moving more aggressively toward manufacturing its data-center products in its own foundries.
Kechichian said the company intends to build Crescent Island internally, a strategy that could lower costs compared with competitors that depend on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (NYSE:TSM).
The effort forms part of Intel’s broader turnaround plan following leadership changes and cost-cutting measures that investors have largely welcomed.
NVIDIA Expands Into Intel’s PC Territory
At the same time, NVIDIA unveiled its new RTX Spark Superchip, signaling a direct challenge to Intel, AMD, Qualcomm Inc. (NASDAQ:QCOM), and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) in the PC processor market.
NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang said the chip, developed with MediaTek and paired with Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) Windows, is designed to power AI agents that can perform tasks across applications with limited human input.
Huang described the product as a reinvention of the personal computer, with AI assistants becoming the primary way users interact with their devices.
Huang said NVIDIA and Microsoft spent three years developing the platform, which targets AI developers, creators, and gamers initially before expanding to a broader consumer base, the Financial Times reported on Monday.
NVIDIA’s entry into integrated PC chips adds a new competitive front for Intel as the company works to regain momentum in both AI infrastructure and client computing markets.
Intel Earnings & Analyst Outlook
Looking further out, the next major catalyst for the stock arrives with the July 23, 2026 (estimated) earnings report.
- EPS Estimate: 19 cents (Up from Loss of 10 cents YoY)
- Revenue Estimate: $14.40 Billion (Up from $12.86 Billion YoY)
Analyst Consensus & Recent Actions: The stock carries a Hold rating with an average price forecast of $77.65. Recent analyst moves include:
- Citigroup: Buy (Raises forecast to $130.00) (May 18)
- Benchmark: Buy (Raises forecast to $140.00) (May 18)
- Mizuho: Neutral (Raises forecast to $124.00) (May 12)
Intel Technical Analysis
Intel stock is trading lower during Monday’s premarket session as traders digest a pullback after a powerful 12-month run and reassess risk even with index futures modestly higher. Nasdaq futures are up 0.27% while S&P 500 futures have gained 0.27%.
From a trend perspective, Intel is still in a strong longer-term uptrend: it’s trading 29.2% above its 50-day SMA ($82.45) and 116.6% above its 200-day SMA ($49.17), with a bullish 20-day-over-50-day alignment and the golden cross that formed in August 2025 still intact. The near-term picture is softer, though, with shares trading 7.5% below the 20-day SMA ($115.16), signaling the latest leg higher has cooled.
MACD is the cleaner momentum read right now: it’s below its signal line and the histogram is negative, which points to fading upside pressure versus the prior upswing. In plain English, when MACD sits below its signal line, it often means the stock’s recent momentum is weakening unless price can reclaim its short-term trend.
The bigger map still shows why dip-buyers may stay interested: the stock’s last major swing high was in May (also the 52-week high at $132.75), and the most recent swing low was in March, leaving a wide “higher-high/higher-low” structure in place. But with price now well off that May peak and under the 20-day average, traders often look for a cleaner base or a support test before pressing new longs.
- Key Support: $102.50 — a nearby level where buyers previously stepped in, and it sits just below the current price as a first line of defense if the pullback extends
Intel Price Action
INTC Stock Price Activity: Intel shares were down 4.87% at $109.10 during premarket trading on Monday, according to Benzinga Pro data.
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