• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

He worked 100-hour weeks to save a nearly bankrupt boat company. At 83, he’s just turned down $400 million for it—and gave it all to charity instead

2

The rise of 'conspicuous waiting': The 19th-century economic theory that explains why Gen Z posts their place in line

3

Costco's $14 million email settlement: Who qualifies for an up-to $500 payment and how to claim before the Aug. 24 deadline

1

He worked 100-hour weeks to save a nearly bankrupt boat company. At 83, he’s just turned down $400 million for it—and gave it all to charity instead

2

The rise of 'conspicuous waiting': The 19th-century economic theory that explains why Gen Z posts their place in line

3

Costco's $14 million email settlement: Who qualifies for an up-to $500 payment and how to claim before the Aug. 24 deadline
TechFuture 50

Here’s Why Amazon, Microsoft, and Intel’s Shares Are Soaring

By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
October 27, 2017, 2:54 PM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Amazon, Microsoft, and Intel all had reason to cheer Friday.

Shares of these three tech giants were all booming after they reported earnings on Thursday that impressed investors.

Amazon’s shares were up nearly 13% Friday to $1,100.95 while Microsoft’s shares jumped 6% to $83.81. Intel’s shares rose 7% to $44.40.

Although these companies all have different business models, they share a common link—cloud computing, in which companies buy computing resources on-demand.

Amazon’s (AMZN) retail business is still the company’s primary cash cow, but its thriving Amazon Web Services unit is still growing at a rapid pace. AWS sales grew 41.9% to $4.58 billion, which was higher than analyst projections of $4.52 billion.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Meanwhile, Microsoft (MSFT) claimed big gains in its cloud business, with CEO Satya Nadella boasting to analysts that the company has an annualized revenue run rate of $20.4 billion that is extrapolated from one recent month’s sales multiplied by 12.

Intel (INTC) also bragged that cloud computing helped sales in its latest quarter. While Intel does not sell on-demand computing services, it sells computer chips to cloud computing companies like Microsoft and Amazon. When those companies grow and spend big money in their data centers, Intel stands to benefit—as long as they keep buying from the semiconductor giant and not rivals like Nvidia.

Intel said its data center business jumped 7% to $4.9 billion in the company’s third quarter. Intel CEO Bryan Krzanich boasted to analysts during an earnings call of recent chip deals between Microsoft, Google, and Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, also a cloud provider, as highlights.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Still, Intel’s data center business is heavily dependent on the cloud computing companies it sells its technology to, and Krzanich has previously said that sales to those businesses can be “lumpy,” meaning that its hard to predict their data center spending. That can impact Intel’s ability to achieve its sales projections.

Additionally, Intel faces the potential threat of these companies designing their own chips, as in the case of Google, which built a custom chip for machine learning to which it rents business customers access. Any effort by these cloud companies to build their own chip tech, even if they use for just a small part of their overall data centers and cloud businesses, could cause Intel to lose out on sales.

As for Google and its parent company Alphabet, cloud computing business is growing—although the company did not provide detailed quarterly information about the unit’s financial performance because of its relatively small size. But as Alphabet’s CFO Ruth Porat told analysts after reporting stellar quarterly earnings, she expects that cloud computing will be crucial to its business in the future.

To underscore that point, Porat said Alphabet’s workforce at the end of its latest quarter was 78,100, up 2,495 from the previous quarter. The bulk of hiring was in the company’s cloud unit.

Update (Oct. 27, 2017): This article was updated with closing stock prices.

 

About the Author
By Jonathan Vanian
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Jonathan Vanian is a former Fortune reporter. He covered business technology, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data privacy, and other topics.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

Latest in Tech

var
AIWorld Cup
The World Cup’s VAR fights are a preview of every company’s AI rollout problem
By Pooya Tabesh and The ConversationJuly 31, 2026
21 minutes ago
After a nearly 1,000% surge, the AI debt orgy can’t last forever, while hidden borrowing has exploded to $1.65 trillion
Big TechDebt
After a nearly 1,000% surge, the AI debt orgy can’t last forever, while hidden borrowing has exploded to $1.65 trillion
By Jason MaJuly 31, 2026
28 minutes ago
bernie
AIWhite House
16 Nobel laureates just warned AI could displace workers. Bernie thinks a sovereign wealth fund may be the answer
By Patrick J. Schena and The ConversationJuly 31, 2026
40 minutes ago
Fortune 500 Power Moves: Which executives gained and lost power, July 18–31, 2026
C-SuiteFortune 500 Power Moves
Fortune 500 Power Moves: Which executives gained and lost power, July 18–31, 2026
By Fortune EditorsJuly 31, 2026
1 hour ago
Jensen Huang speaks into a microphone
SuccessCareers
Jensen Huang says this is the greatest time in history to start a business—and his advice is to stop overthinking it: ‘How hard can it be?’
By Preston ForeJuly 31, 2026
1 hour ago
An Apple flagship store
InvestingCFO Daily
Apple shows that AI winners don’t have to build the biggest models
By Sheryl EstradaJuly 31, 2026
3 hours ago

Most Popular

He worked 100-hour weeks to save a nearly bankrupt boat company. At 83, he’s just turned down $400 million for it—and gave it all to charity instead
Success
He worked 100-hour weeks to save a nearly bankrupt boat company. At 83, he’s just turned down $400 million for it—and gave it all to charity instead
By Preston ForeJuly 29, 2026
2 days ago
The rise of 'conspicuous waiting': The 19th-century economic theory that explains why Gen Z posts their place in line
Retail
The rise of 'conspicuous waiting': The 19th-century economic theory that explains why Gen Z posts their place in line
By Tatiana SatauaJuly 31, 2026
10 hours ago
Costco's $14 million email settlement: Who qualifies for an up-to $500 payment and how to claim before the Aug. 24 deadline
Retail
Costco's $14 million email settlement: Who qualifies for an up-to $500 payment and how to claim before the Aug. 24 deadline
By Sydney LakeJuly 29, 2026
2 days ago
Tim Cook signed off on his final Apple earnings call with a warning about a ‘hundred year flood’ in memory chip pricing
Big Tech
Tim Cook signed off on his final Apple earnings call with a warning about a ‘hundred year flood’ in memory chip pricing
By Alexei OreskovicJuly 30, 2026
16 hours ago
'Am I paying for the vibes?' Gen Z says it hates capitalism, but their spending patterns show they just don't like being ripped off
Retail
'Am I paying for the vibes?' Gen Z says it hates capitalism, but their spending patterns show they just don't like being ripped off
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 30, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of oil as of July 30, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of July 30, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 30, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.