Intel Plans Ramp of Intel 3 and 18A Nodes, Shares Jump 6%
INTC•Intel shares rose about 6% after CFO David Zinsner said supply from Intel 3 and 18A nodes will ramp over the next several quarters. He added the 18A notebook product is ramping faster than in five years and said AI inference workloads will drive higher CPU demand in data centers.
1. CFO Comments and Share Reaction
CFO David Zinsner’s remarks on improving CPU demand triggered a roughly 6% premarket share gain for Intel. His upbeat tone offered investors renewed confidence in the company’s ability to execute its turnaround strategy.
2. Manufacturing Node Ramp Plans
Zinsner confirmed Intel will increase output from its Intel 3 and 18A nodes over the coming quarters as it shifts away from older Intel 7 processes. The 18A notebook product, he noted, is ramping at the fastest rate the company has seen in at least five years.
3. AI Market Implications and Challenges
Intel is positioning CPUs as essential for AI inference, agentic AI and multi-agent systems even as GPUs dominate training workloads. The key test will be converting this demand into data center revenue while defending share against Arm-based rivals and managing complex supply ramps.
