Intel didn’t ease into 2026. It stumbled. The chipmaker’s forecast for the first quarter was weaker than Wall Street had hoped, and the response came quickly: raised eyebrows, falling shares and a familiar feeling of unease.
The company forecasted revenue and profit that missed expectations – a sign of just how difficult this turnaround remains, as outlined in its outlook for earnings.
If you’re thinking to yourself, “Haven’t we heard this story before? -you’re not wrong. Intel has been honest about the growing pains. New factories, new processes, “no end to money” being poured in and no quick payoff.
The wider chip market isn’t exactly serving up a safety net, either. Demand outside of AI is still slow, and that chasm has been weighing on legacy chipmakers longer than many people may have anticipated – in a move that’s quietly spread through the industry.
What muddles it all is timing. Intel is striving to position itself as a linchpin of future chip supply – dependable, domestic, strategic.
That goes over great in Washington and Brussels; markets prefer proof to promises. A soft forecast doesn’t destroy the story, but it surely punctures the optimism.
Intel’s audacious effort to reinvent itself as a big player in the foundry business has been ambitious, costly and thoroughly reviewed.
Behind the numbers, there is a less visible strain. Engineers working through delayed milestones. Executives juggling patience and pressure.
Investors wondering how much of the pain is “strategic” and how much is just … pain. Some are clinging to the notion that state incentives and industrial policy will buy Intel the time it needs, particularly as Western economies tilt more aggressively toward trying to reshore chip production.
So, how does that leave Intel? Not broken. Not saved. Somewhere in the uncomfortable middle. This is not a collapse - it’s a grind.
And the grind doesn’t make for sexy headings, but it does determine who’s standing five years from now.
The issue is not whether Intel can afford this rebuild. It’s whether the market has patience to allow it to complete.
