New York, January 21, 2026, 16:07 EST — After-hours update
- AMD surged 7.8% in regular trading, outperforming the wider chip sector rally
- Former Accenture CFO KC McClure has joined the company’s board.
- Traders are eyeing Intel’s results on Thursday, with AMD set to report on Feb. 3
Advanced Micro Devices jumped $18.10, or 7.8%, closing at $250.02 on Wednesday. The shares hit a high of $252.83 during the session, after starting the day at $235.92 and dipping to a low of $232.51.
The move came as Wall Street found its footing following a steep selloff the day before, with investors seizing on new signs that U.S. trade tensions might not escalate soon. “What the economic impact is whether we all start imposing tariffs on each other,” noted Jason Pride, chief of investment strategy & research at Glenmede, after President Donald Trump announced he would not go ahead with tariffs planned for Feb. 1. reuters.com
Chip stocks spearheaded the bounce. The iShares Semiconductor ETF jumped 3.3%, VanEck Semiconductor ETF climbed roughly 3.1%, and the Invesco QQQ Trust edged up 1.3%.
Late Tuesday, AMD announced a company-specific update, appointing KC McClure to its board. CEO Lisa Su praised McClure as a seasoned finance leader with extensive global operating experience, saying, “We are delighted to welcome KC to AMD’s Board of Directors.” ir.amd.com
A recent regulatory filing revealed that AMD expanded its board to nine members and added McClure to the Audit and Finance Committee. Along with her appointment, the company granted her 1,278 restricted stock units, equity awards that usually vest into shares over time.
The rally adds to a streak fueled by bullishness on AMD’s data-center segment, where its EPYC server processors dominate. Analysts highlight strong demand for AMD’s newest “Turin” server CPUs—the core chips powering data-center hardware—as a key factor backing estimates ahead of the quarter. marketwatch.com
Options trading showed signs of aggressive bets ahead of the move. Volume on Wednesday more than doubled the daily average, with calls outnumbering puts, according to TipRanks’ The Fly. Implied volatility, which reflects expected future price swings, also edged up.
Intel is set to release earnings after the bell on Thursday, with its outlook on server demand and pricing likely to influence peers like AMD. Ryuta Makino, an analyst at Intel investor Gabelli Funds, told Reuters, “That’s really the big Intel bull case here – I think there will be at least a double-digit server CPU … price hike in 2026.” reuters.com
AMD’s strong jump leaves little wiggle room for a weak quarter or unclear guidance, particularly in AI chips where Nvidia remains the leader. The company is ramping up its Instinct series — including the MI455 processors unveiled at CES this month — aiming to capture more AI data-center business with clients like OpenAI.
Board decisions seldom shift fundamentals instantly. Traders chasing the rally will swiftly probe for signs of caution from management on supply, pricing, or customer commitments.
AMD will release its fiscal fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 results on Tuesday, Feb. 3, after markets close, followed by a conference call at 5:00 p.m. EST. CTO Mark Papermaster is lined up to speak at Morgan Stanley’s Technology, Media & Telecom Conference on March 3.
