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Intel(INTC) - 2025 Q4 - Earnings Call Transcript
2026-01-22 23:00
Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Fourth quarter revenue was $13.7 billion, marking strong growth across all businesses, driven by AI infrastructure build-out, with AI PC, traditional server, and networking revenue all up double digits sequentially and year over year [17] - Non-GAAP gross margin for Q4 was 37.9%, approximately 140 basis points ahead of guidance, while full year Non-GAAP gross margin was 36.7%, up 70 basis points year over year [17][18] - Non-GAAP earnings per share for Q4 was $0.15, exceeding guidance of $0.08, driven by higher revenue and stronger gross margins [17] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Client Computing Group (CCG) revenue was $8.2 billion, down 4% quarter over quarter, despite AI PC units growing 16% [21] - Data Center and AI (DCAI) revenue was $4.7 billion, up 15% sequentially, marking the fastest sequential growth this decade [23] - Intel Foundry revenue was $4.5 billion, up 6.4% sequentially, with an operating loss of $2.5 billion in Q4 due to the early ramp of Intel 18A [24] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The client consumption Total Addressable Market (TAM) was estimated to be greater than 290 million units in 2025, marking two consecutive years of growth [22] - The custom ASIC business grew more than 50% in 2025, reaching an annualized revenue run rate greater than $1 billion in Q4 [23] - The demand for traditional servers remains strong, with a focus on ramping available capacity to support the uptick in demand [10] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company aims to strengthen its client franchise and advance its data center, AI accelerator, and ASIC strategies to capture growth opportunities presented by AI [6] - A centralized approach for the data center and AI group is being implemented to ensure tight coordination across CPUs, GPUs, and platform strategy [10] - The long-term ambition is to rebuild Intel as a compute platform of choice for the next era of AI-driven computing, focusing on world-class engineering and execution [12] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed optimism about the significant growth opportunity AI presents across all businesses, despite acknowledging challenges in meeting demand due to supply constraints [15] - The company is committed to improving yield and efficiency in its manufacturing processes to better support customer needs [16] - Management anticipates a strong year of growth for DCAI in 2026, with improvements in factory network supply expected beginning in Q2 [28] Other Important Information - The company generated $9.7 billion in cash from operations for the full year and ended 2025 with $37.4 billion in cash and short-term investments [19] - The company is planning to retire all $2.5 billion of maturities as they come due this year [30] - The company is focused on building a world-class wafer and advanced packaging foundry, with significant milestones achieved in the development of Intel 18A [13] Q&A Session Summary Question: Short-term supply and yield improvements - Management indicated that improving yields and throughput are key drivers of supply increases, with confidence in a positive trajectory [32] Question: Gross margin expectations - Management explained that gross margin decline in Q1 is due to lower revenue and the impact of new product costs, with expectations for improvement as supply and cost structures stabilize [37] Question: Server prospects and market share - Management emphasized the importance of the 16-channel Diamond Rapids and Coral Rapids in driving market share, with a focus on meeting hyperscaler demand [46] Question: Supply constraints and inventory management - Management acknowledged that both client and data center revenues will be down due to supply constraints, but expects improvements in Q2 [52] Question: External foundry revenue expectations - Management anticipates that significant external foundry revenue will begin to materialize in 2028, with ongoing customer engagements [59]