Chip stock Intel (INTC) may have quietly won CES 2026, at least as far as the chip-making market goes, by doing one thing that many of its competitors did not, at least not to the same extent. Intel, unlike many of its contemporaries, “…showed up for the consumers,” and that may have made more difference than anyone realized. The idea resonated with shareholders, who sent Intel stock blasting up over 10% in Friday afternoon’s trading.
Claim 70% Off TipRanks Premium
- Unlock hedge fund-level data and powerful investing tools for smarter, sharper decisions
- Stay ahead of the market with the latest news and analysis and maximize your portfolio's potential
Basically, at CES, Nvidia (NVDA) did what it usually does, and talked up artificial intelligence (AI) quite a bit. Because of course it did; AI made Nvidia what it is right now. And AMD (AMD) started to sound a lot like Nvidia, both of them seemingly working to an idea called “AI everywhere.” This is great for a future-looking show…but who will help the regular folks who want a PC to play games on, and need one to do work on? That was where Intel stepped up.
While AMD brought up the Ryzen AI 400 “Gorgon Point” line, many felt the mention was just that: a mention. It was a mere thing of lip service in a field overwhelmingly focused on AI. Intel, meanwhile, focused directly on the consumer and what its chips would mean. Yes, Intel brought up AI—it wanted to be the future of AI, after all—but Intel dealt extensively with what its chips meant for the average end-user.
Spin-out Making Money
Meanwhile, an Intel spin-out is catching a lot of attention so far. Articul8, which Intel spun out back in 2024, has pulled in about $35 million so far, half of a planned funding round of $70 million with a pre-money valuation of $500 million, reports note. The new funding round will be used to “…expand research and product development,” among other things.
Articul8 is an enterprise AI company, which focuses on building AI systems that work within a customer’s current IT operations, yet still deliver specialized capability and results. It does not offer standalone models, but rather, delivers AI that works like a software application for specific functions. It particularly targets regulated industries, where demands are often highly specific and vital to operations.
Is Intel a Buy, Hold or Sell?
Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Hold consensus rating on INTC stock based on six Buys, 19 Holds and five Sells assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 114.67% rally in its share price over the past year, the average INTC price target of $39.63 per share implies 12.82% downside risk.
