Intel Surges 214.6% in 2026 as A.I. Inference Chips Outpace Nvidia

1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 15

Intel shares jumped 214.6% through Thursday, including a 114% surge in April alone, making it 2026’s hottest major chip stock and beating Nvidia by more than eightfold.
The rally reflects a market shift from A.I. training chips toward inference semiconductors—the processors that power answers from A.I. agents—where Intel is seen as a key beneficiary.
That change is rippling beyond the U.S., lifting chip-heavy markets in South Korea and Taiwan through companies including Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix and TSMC.
A year after needing a U.S. government bailout, Intel’s rebound underscores how A.I., alongside volatile oil prices and the Persian Gulf war, is reshaping global market leadership.

Can Intel's AI comeback last when its biggest customers—Google and Amazon—are building their own chips?

The AI chip explosion is here, but does the world have enough power and resources to sustain it?

Is the AI-fueled economic boom in Taiwan and South Korea creating a bubble vulnerable to geopolitical shocks?