Hua Er Jie Jian Wen·2026-01-22 00:13Core Viewpoint - Intel is regaining favor on Wall Street due to strong demand expectations in the data center segment and significant external investments, leading to a notable increase in stock price and market capitalization [1][2]. Group 1: Stock Performance and Market Sentiment - Intel's stock surged over 11% on Wednesday, reaching its highest point since January 2022, with a market capitalization surpassing $250 billion for the first time since 2022 [1]. - The stock has increased approximately 35% year-to-date in 2026 and has seen a cumulative rise of 149% over the past 12 months [1]. - Analysts express optimism about Intel's recovery, highlighting favorable recent developments and the upcoming earnings report as a critical test for the company's resurgence [1]. Group 2: Revenue Expectations and Business Performance - Intel's data center and AI business revenue is projected to surge nearly 29% to approximately $4.4 billion [5]. - Analysts from KeyBanc have upgraded Intel's stock rating to "buy" with a target price of $60, noting that server CPUs may be sold out this year, indicating potential price increases [5]. - There is an expectation of significant demand from large cloud computing firms, which is seen as a major tailwind for Intel's data center business [5]. Group 3: Strategic Investments and Business Vision - Intel's turnaround is supported by a restructuring of its capital and ambitions in the foundry business, with significant investments from external stakeholders [6]. - The U.S. government has become Intel's largest shareholder after investing $8.9 billion, partly due to Intel's unique capability to manufacture advanced chips domestically [6]. - Nvidia has invested $5 billion and is collaborating with Intel to integrate Intel's CPUs into Nvidia systems, while SoftBank has also invested $2 billion [6]. Group 4: Challenges in the PC Market and Profit Margins - Despite positive market sentiment, Intel faces challenges, with fourth-quarter revenue expected to decline by 6% to $13.4 billion [7]. - The PC segment is experiencing mixed results, with revenue projected to grow only 2.5% to $8.21 billion, amid rising memory prices and competition from AMD and Arm-based designs [7]. - Profit margins are under pressure, with adjusted gross margins expected to drop by approximately 6 percentage points to 36.5% due to high costs associated with repairing manufacturing operations [7].