Intel ( $INTC ) just posted the kind of quarter that makes the "legacy chipmaker in decline" narrative look tired. Intel didn't just beat Q2 — they told you why Q3 and beyond should be even better.
Revenue: $16.1B vs $14.43B expected. EPS: $0.38 vs $0.21 expected. Fastest revenue growth in 15 years.
Beat on every line, and beat big. From $DCG to $CCG to the foundry business — the turnaround has receipts now.
Revenue: $16.1B vs $14.43B expected
EPS: $0.38 vs $0.21 expected
Data center revenue: $6.3B vs $5.54B expected
Q3 guide: $15.8-16.8B vs $15.06B expected
Stock up 178% YTD and still popped 7% on this print. Foundry customers are starting to show up too — reports have both Google and Nvidia evaluating Intel as a chip manufacturer.
The forward-looking pieces matter more than the beat itself:
Q3 guide of $15.8-16.8B, above Street's $15.1B even at the low end
Capex ramping meaningfully into 2027 to keep up with AI-driven demand
Foundry finally landing named customers (Fortinet confirmed this week, Google reportedly ordering custom TPUs, Nvidia evaluating)
18A process (the node the whole turnaround is riding on) still early, but yields improving
Not every part of this is clean — memory input costs are rising and pressuring the client business, and they're trimming headcount in data center even as that segment grows. But the direction of travel just got a lot harder to argue with.
The turnaround is not a story anymore. It's a trend line.