Intel Corporation (Nasdaq: INTC) has long played second fiddle to the more established giants in the AI race. For much of that race, the technology powering the hardware AI needs to run on has been GPUs, like the kind Nvidia excels in making.
Nvidia's stock closed at its first record since October, as a rally in Intel pushed chipmakers higher. Shares of Nvidia jumped 4.3%, while Intel had its best day since 1987, soaring 24%.
An index of semiconductor stocks notched a record 18th straight gain.
Nvidia's stock is finally on pace to notch a new record close — its first in nearly half a year — propelled by a fresh wave of enthusiasm for semiconductor stocks.
Shares of Nvidia surged on Friday, putting the stock on track for a record closing high as renewed optimism around artificial intelligence demand rippled across the semiconductor sector. The rally was partly fuelled by strong earnings from Intel, which reassured investors about the durability of demand for advanced computing hardware.
Intel isn't the only chip stock hitting new highs after the chipmaker's strong earnings.
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Intel Corporation delivered a blowout Q1 '26, beating earnings and revenue estimates for the sixth consecutive quarter on strong AI CPU demand. Data Center and AI segment revenues surged 22% Y/Y, now comprising over 37% of total revenue, underscoring INTC's strategic pivot. Despite robust top line growth, INTC posted a $3.7B net loss due to $3.8B in Mobileye-related impairment and additional restructuring charges.
Intel shares are soaring to new record highs, thanks in large part to booming demand for AI.
Demand for Intel's central processors from firms offering AI services was so strong in the first quarter that it sold even chips it had originally written off, a remarkable turnaround that sent the company's shares soaring on Friday.
Intel Corp (NASDAQ:INTC, XETRA:INL) shares surged 24% to around $83 on Friday following stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with analysts at Wedbush and Jefferies pointing to accelerating AI-driven demand for server chips and improving near-term visibility for the company's manufacturing roadmap. According to Wedbush, the quarter reinforced that compute demand, particularly for server CPUs, has become the dominant near- to intermediate-term growth narrative for Intel Corporation.
CNBC's Kristina Partsinevelos reports the latest news regarding Intel's earnings.