| | | Intel surges as investment news bubbles; PC market stronger than expected
Sep. 25, 2025 4:29 PM ET
By: Brandon Evans, SA News Editor
Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) shares surged 8.8% by the close of market trading on Thursday, as the once-beleaguered U.S. chipmaker has climbed 37% since September 17.
Its share price has soared 69% year to date. In comparison, the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index ( SOX) has increased 26% year to date, while the S&P 500 Index is up 12% over the same time frame.
Interestingly, most major semiconductor stocks finished the trading day down or remained mostly static. For example, TSMC ( TSM) slid 1.5%, Advanced Micro Devices ( AMD) inched up 0.1%, Nvidia ( NVDA) increased 0.3%, Broadcom ( AVGO) slipped 0.9% and Qualcomm ( QCOM) declined 2.2%. However, Marvell ( MRVL) gained 4.6%.
Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan has recently secured significant investments in his company. This includes a $2B investment by Japan's SoftBank ( OTCPK:SFTBY)( OTCPK:SFTBF), a 10% stake by the U.S. government and, most recently, GPU giant Nvidia's $5B backing.
Rumors surfaced on Wednesday that Intel was in discussions with Apple ( AAPL) for a potential investment or a possible partnership. It has also been speculated that Intel and TSMC have reached a preliminary agreement to form a joint venture to operate some of Intel's foundry facilities. This report first surfaced way back in April, but was echoed again today in the Wall Street Journal.
There has also been positive news recently on a strengthening PC market. The PC segment stands as Intel's most substantial driver of revenue. Micron Technology indicated earlier this week that the PC market is improving due to the Windows 11 upgrade and the emergence of artificial intelligence-powered PCs.
"Turning to PCs, end-of-life of Windows 10 and greater adoption of AI-enabled PCs are driving an improved PC demand outlook," said Micron CEO during Tuesday night's earnings call. "We now expect PC unit shipments to grow at a mid-single-digit percentage level in calendar 2025 versus our low single-digit percentage growth expectations previously." |
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