NEW YORK, March 16, 2026, 12:32 PM EDT
Intel climbed roughly 4.7% to $47.93 by midday Monday, beating out Nvidia’s 2.1% and AMD’s 2.9% moves. Earlier, the stock hit $49.05.
Technology stocks bounced back broadly, pushing the Nasdaq out front, Reuters noted earlier Monday. Nvidia’s annual developer conference, set for later in the day, kept attention squarely on artificial intelligence shares.
Timing is critical for Intel. The company’s bull case for 2026 leans heavily on CPUs—the central processing units—grabbing a bigger role as AI firms shift focus from training models to deploying autonomous software agents. Last month, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang told analysts, “We love CPUs as well as GPUs.” Ben Bajarin of Creative Strategies pointed out that this kind of workload is taking place “more and more, and sometimes primarily, on the CPU.” Reuters
Inference — that’s when a trained AI model is put to work responding to questions or making real-time decisions — is grabbing fresh attention across the sector. Last month, Reuters noted AI chip startup SambaNova clinched a multiyear deal with Intel to develop more cost-efficient inference systems.
Intel’s got a front-row seat to Nvidia’s strategy. Back in September, the two companies announced plans to co-develop custom data-center and PC hardware. Intel’s role: manufacturing Nvidia-tailored x86 CPUs, the standard processor type for PCs and servers, geared toward AI infrastructure. Nvidia, for its part, committed $5 billion to buy Intel shares.
Management’s been pushing that narrative. Intel reported $13.7 billion in fourth-quarter revenue, with Data Center and AI sales up 9% to $4.7 billion. For the first quarter, the company is looking at revenue between $11.7 billion and $12.7 billion, and expects adjusted earnings per share to land right around break-even. CEO Lip-Bu Tan doubled down, saying the company’s “conviction in the essential role of CPUs in the AI era continues to grow.” Intel Corporation
Plenty’s already on the table, investors say. Back in January, Reuters noted Intel shares jumped 84% in 2025 after backing from Nvidia, SoftBank, and the U.S. government gave its balance sheet a lift. Gabelli Funds analyst Ryuta Makino called it the “most optimistic” mood around Intel in quite a while. Reuters
The outlook remains mixed. Intel expects supply levels to bottom out in the first quarter, then see some recovery in the second. Back in January, TD Cowen warned that the rally was outpacing short-term fundamentals. This week, Steve Edwards at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management flagged risks: a protracted Middle East conflict might squeeze energy supplies further and disrupt chip shipments, potentially denting parts of the AI spending cycle.
At this point, traders aren’t taking their eyes off Intel as they wait for Huang’s keynote, scheduled for 2 p.m. Eastern, according to Reuters. New information on CPUs, inference hardware, or ecosystem deals could quickly move Intel, Nvidia, and AMD shares before the session ends.
