NEW YORK, Jan 8, 2026, 17:37 (EST) — After-hours
Intel shares rose about 3% in after-hours trading on Thursday after U.S. President Donald Trump praised a meeting with Chief Executive Lip-Bu Tan on social media. The stock closed down 3.5% at $41.11, after trading between $40.68 and $43.31 in the regular session.
The remarks put fresh focus on Intel’s turnaround plan, which hinges on moving its next manufacturing process into high-volume production. Intel has said its Core Ultra Series 3 laptop processors are the first “AI PC” platform built on its 18A node — a new generation of chipmaking tech — and go on sale Jan. 27.
Investors get another read on execution on Jan. 22, when Intel reports fourth-quarter and full-year results after the U.S. close and holds a conference call at 2 p.m. PT. Traders will look for any change in the company’s tone on the 18A ramp and demand for the new lineup.
Trump said in a Truth Social post he had “a great meeting” with Tan and praised what he called Intel’s first “SUB 2 NANOMETER CPU PROCESSOR” designed, built and packaged in the United States. He also pointed to the government’s shareholder position in Intel and said it has made “tens of billions of dollars” in four months. “Nanometer” labels are used as shorthand for process generations; smaller numbers generally signal denser transistors. trumpstruth.org
Intel has been using CES in Las Vegas to sell the Series 3 launch as a proof point for 18A, with executives leaning on power efficiency and graphics. Senior vice president Jim Johnson said the company was “laser focused on improving power efficiency” with the lineup. Brazilian PC maker Positivo Tecnologia said it is “excited to be partnering with Intel on this new era of AI PCs,” and Intel said more than 200 laptop designs are coming. newsroom.intel.com
The CES messaging is landing in a crowded field. AMD previewed its MI455 AI processors for data centers and rolled out Ryzen AI chips for PCs, while Nvidia showcased its next-generation Vera Rubin platform, Reuters reported. reuters.com
Intel’s drop in regular trading came as U.S. stocks turned mixed, with heavy tech names sliding and defense stocks jumping after Trump called for a much larger military budget. Investors were positioning for Friday’s U.S. nonfarm payrolls report.
But the bull case still rests on manufacturing execution. Reuters reported earlier this week that Intel has struggled with yields on the new 18A process — yields are the share of usable chips coming off the line — which can squeeze volumes and margins if they stay low.
Intel reports Jan. 22 after the close, the company said, and the conference call later that day will be the next scheduled catalyst for the stock.
