Intel upgraded to Buy at Melius on possible 14A node production partners

As previously reported, Melius Research upgraded Intel (INTC) to Buy from Hold with a $50 price target. Recent news that Nvidia (NVDA) tested the 18A process node and didn’t like it was “stale,” says the analyst, who sees “a good chance” that Nvidia and Apple (AAPL) “take a hard look” at producing chips on the 14A node by 2028/2029. This news could fully filter into the stock going throughout 2026, driving higher book value, adds the analyst, who “really likes” Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan and says that “more importantly” more powerful people like President Trump, Secretary Lutnick, Jensen Huang and Lisa Su “like him even more as a business partner.”