Do we like Intel?
Designs and manufactures computer and server chips and runs a contract chip-making (foundry) business; based in Santa Clara, California.
Our score: 6 out of 10. A cautious maybe. Its environmental record is strong and the turnaround is moving, but it has a long antitrust history, heavy layoffs and a shaky foundry business.
Intel is the old giant of PC chips. It missed the early AI boom, and its board ousted CEO Pat Gelsinger in late 2024. In March 2025 it hired Lip-Bu Tan, a former Cadence Design Systems CEO who had earlier sat on Intel's board.
Tan says the restructuring is about 80% done and that he has replaced most of the senior leaders. He also says it will take years to build a competitive foundry business. Intel's 18A process has entered volume production, with 14A still in development.
In August 2025 the US Commerce Department took a stake of about 10%, for roughly $9 billion. Tan says the government isn't steering strategy. Critics have raised concern about the state taking stakes in private firms. Intel also announced layoffs, including in Oregon's Washington County.
The legacy is a long EU antitrust saga. In December 2025 the EU General Court upheld a 2023 Commission decision against Intel over payments to HP, Acer and Lenovo to delay AMD-based products. It cut the fine from €376m to €237m.
Intel's own report says it hit 99% renewable electricity in 2025 and conserved about 11.2 billion gallons of water. Those are Intel's numbers, not an outside audit. Shares fell about 29% on 30 October after weak guidance, so our score is a cautious 6.