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FY2026 Q2
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Intel Corporation earnings call
Buzzberg read
Server growth strongest on record
Intel reported another beat-and-raise quarter driven by surging server CPU demand and strong 18A execution, but supply constraints persist. Management raised 2026 capex to >$20B and signaled even higher 2027 levels, while guiding Q3 revenue slightly above Q2's actual. Key cross-company signals included deeper partnerships with Google Cloud and ARM, an ASIC win at Fortinet, and a collaboration with Foxconn on disaggregated inference. Q2 revenue $16.1B (above $14.3B midpoint), gross margin 41.8%, EPS $0.42 — all beat guidance.
Buzzberg read Server growth strongest on record Intel reported another beat-and-raise quarter driven by surging server CPU demand and strong 18A execution, but supply constraints persist. Management raised 2026 capex to >$20B and signaled even higher 2027 levels, while guiding Q3 revenue slightly above Q2's actual. Key cross-company signals included deeper partnerships with Google Cloud and ARM, an ASIC win at Fortinet, and a collaboration with Foxconn on disaggregated inference. Q2 revenue $16.1B (above $14.3B midpoint), gross margin 41.8%, EPS $0.42 — all beat guidance. Read full analysisCollapse analysis
Intel reported another beat-and-raise quarter driven by surging server CPU demand and strong 18A execution, but supply constraints persist. Management raised 2026 capex to >$20B and signaled even higher 2027 levels, while guiding Q3 revenue slightly above Q2's actual. Key cross-company signals included deeper partnerships with Google Cloud and ARM, an ASIC win at Fortinet, and a collaboration with Foxconn on disaggregated inference. Q2 revenue $16.1B (above $14.3B midpoint), gross margin 41.8%, EPS $0.42 — all beat guidance.
- Server CPU demand (DCAI) grew 59% YoY and remains supply-constrained; Q3 revenue guided to $15.8-16.8B with gross margin ~42%.
- 18A output beat target by 25% and rose >50% QoQ; 14A PDK 0.9 on track for October, raising confidence in external foundry ramp.
- 2026 capex raised to >$20B, with 2027 expected 'significantly above' that, primarily for US front-end tools and advanced packaging.
CCPG Revenue$8.9BReported
DCAI Revenue$6.3B+24% QoQ
FOUNDRY Revenue$5.8B+7% QoQ
Revenue$16.128B+19% QoQ
5 grounded callouts
What matters now
The highest-signal changes from the call.
Capex
CapEx raised to over $20 billion in 2026
AI
AI-driven businesses grew over 70% YoY
Show 2 more callouts
Supply chain
18A yields ahead of expectations
Margins
Gross margin beat guidance by 280 bps
Reported period
Actuals
| Metric | Reported | Change |
|---|---|---|
| CCPG Revenue | $8.9B | Reported |
| DCAI Revenue | $6.3B | +24% QoQ |
| FOUNDRY Revenue | $5.8B | +7% QoQ |
| Revenue | $16.128B | +19% QoQ |
| EPS | $0.42 | +45% QoQ |
| Gross margin | 41.51% | Reported |
Forward-looking
Forward guidance
| Metric | Period | Range | Midpoint | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capex | FY2026 | $20B | $20B | Raised |
| EPS | FY2026 Q3 | $0.38 | $0.38 | Guided |
| Gross margin | FY2026 Q3 | 42% | 42% | Guided |
| Revenue | FY2026 Q3 | $15.8B–$16.8B | $16.3B | Guided |
AI, capex & demand read
Management read
upbeat
Management's overall tone was upbeat, driven by strong demand, record server growth, and raising capex despite ongoing supply constraints.
Management AI read
Management noted that AI is expanding from training to inference and increasingly to agentic and multi-agent systems, driving strong demand for CPUs. The company's AI-driven businesses grew greater than 70% year over year.
Investment and capacity
The company is raising its 2026 capex outlook to more than $20 billion, up significantly versus expectations entering the year, and forecasting 2027 capital expenditures to be significantly above 2026 levels, with the vast majority spent across its US network.
all 7 named companies below
Companiesreturns since call
Customers
Customers
Lip-Bu Tan
Intel wins an ASIC design deal with Fortinet, validating its design services business and expanding purpose-built silicon revenue.
Evidence
“Our recently announced collaboration with Fortinet for their security processor is a strong step forward in our ASIC strategy”
Partners
Partners
Lip-Bu Tan
Intel sees Google Cloud as a strategic partner to accelerate its AI-first transformation, implying deepening business ties and potential revenue.
Evidence
“Our recent announcement to deepen our collaboration with Google Cloud will help to accelerate the transformation”
Partners
David Zinsner
Intel's collaboration with Foxconn on rack-scale AI inference signals that Foxconn will help Intel bring disaggregated computing solutions to market.
Evidence
“The team announced rack scale and disaggregated inference innovations with partners Samba Nova and Foxconn.”
Partners
Lip-Bu Tan
Intel highlights a strong partnership with ARM, likely for ARM-based CPU designs and as a foundry customer, reinforcing its cross-architecture strategy.
Evidence
“ARM is a great partner for us and you know we have a strong relationship there and you know Rene and Marsha are good friends of mine”
Supply chain
Supply chain
David Zinsner
Intel is aggressively locking in tool purchase orders and accelerating clean room builds, signaling a multi-year capex cycle that benefits semiconductor equipment suppliers. — This points to a sustained high level of equipment spending beyond 2026, directly supporting ASML, Applied Materials, and Lam Research.
Evidence
“We're also aggressively locking in tool purchase orders from our vendors, accelerating our clean room build outs”
External signals
Supply-chain alpha · 3returns since call
Intel's supply growth linearity is skewed toward late Q3 and Q4, especially for servers, implying a significant revenue step-up in Q4.
Evidence
“the near-term linearity of our supply growth is more skewed towards the end of Q3 and into Q4, especially for servers.”
18A output exceeded targets by 25% and grew >50% QoQ, while 14A PDK milestones are on track for October, validating the process roadmap for external foundry customers.
Evidence
“18A output approximately 25% above target and up more than 50% quarter-over-quarter”
Intel is aggressively locking in tool purchase orders and accelerating clean room builds, signaling a multi-year capex cycle that benefits semiconductor equipment suppliers.
Methodology & coverage
Management-only analysis. All 7 validated company mentions are shown. Reported actuals and forward guidance are kept separate. Public evidence is limited to eight short attributed quotes. AI-generated analysis can be incomplete or wrong; verify important claims against the original source.