Intel forecasts fourth-quarter revenue above estimates

The company has largely missed out on a boom in investments in speedy, advanced AI chips for data centres as businesses double down on adopting generative AI technology — a market dominated by Nvidia, followed by rival AMD.

Intel reported a net loss attributable to Intel of $16.6bn (€15.3bn) for the third quarter, compared with a net profit attributable to Intel of about $300m in the year-ago period.

As one of the largest makers of PC chips, Intel has benefited as the rollout of on-device AI features and a fresh Windows update cycle have renewed demand for PCs after a years-long slump, helping the company surpass Wall Street's low expectations.

Revenue in Intel’s Client Computing Group — which includes its PC chips for desktop and laptop computers — fell 7% to $7.3bn. 

Analysts estimated the client segment would shrink to $7.38bn.

The company expects revenue to be between $13.3bn and $14.3bn for the current quarter, the midpoint of which is above analysts' average estimate.

Analysts also expect demand for traditional server chips made by Intel — its mainstay data-center semiconductors — to pick up in the second half of the year after several quarters of soft demand as investment is funnelled to AI chips.

For the data centre segment, which includes AI chips, Intel reported revenue grew 9% to $3.3bn.

However, Intel's share of the PC and server CPU market is consistently threatened by AMD, which now boasts a market valuation larger than that of Intel and is also the closest competitor to market leader Nvidia in AI graphics processors.

In an interview, Intel finance chief David Zinsner said the company planned up to to $14bn in capital spending in 2025.

Revenue in the company’s contract manufacturing business, or foundry, shrank to $4.4bn. 

Intel reported an adjusted gross margin of 18%, compared with analyst estimates of 37.9%.

Reuters