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

Trendingnow

1

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

2

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster

3

Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place

1

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

2

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster

3

Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
TechIntel

How Intel’s new CEO can revive the chipmaker’s fortunes

By
Aaron Pressman
Aaron Pressman
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Aaron Pressman
Aaron Pressman
Down Arrow Button Icon
March 23, 2021, 7:00 AM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Our mission to make business better is fueled by readers like you. To enjoy unlimited access to our journalism, subscribe today.

After decades as the king of PC chips, Intel has struggled for the past few years watching rivals Advanced Micro Devices and Nvidia leap ahead with better performing processors.

But investors are already anticipating that Intel’s troubles may be in the rearview mirror. In the two months since the company announced that VMware CEO Pat Gelsinger, who had worked at Intel for 30 years, would be its next leader, its stock price has leaped 23%.

Now Gelsinger must deliver.

On Tuesday evening after the stock market closes, the new CEO will deliver his first strategy address and take questions from analysts. It’s being billed as “Intel Unleashed: Engineering the Future,” with Gelsinger planning to explain his vision for “the new era of innovation and technology leadership at Intel.”

“It takes a long time for a new CEO to impact the product road map, but Gelsinger’s credibility can buy time,” Morgan Stanley analyst Joseph Moore noted last week. Gelsinger is already generating much needed energy within the company, Moore adds. “We appreciate having that enthusiasm internally—and a CEO who can sell that vision to the engineering workforce, the data center community, and to ecosystem partners.”

An electrical engineer who started at Intel before he even graduated from college, Gelsinger appears to have the deep knowledge of his industry to match rival CEOs Lisa Su at AMD and Jensen Huang at Nvidia. But Gelsinger will have to thread a careful path in explaining his comeback strategy after his two immediate predecessors, Bob Swan and Brian Krzanich, departed after overpromising and underdelivering on chip improvements.

Unlike its main rivals, AMD and Nvidia, Intel not only designs chips but manufactures them too. Its biggest problem has been that the once reliable silicon chip manufacturing improvements that made its processors leap ahead in performance every two years or so, the trend identified by Intel cofounder Gordon Moore as Moore’s Law, haven’t arrived on schedule. A brand-new series of chips for PCs that Intel unveiled this month is being built with the same basic manufacturing technique that the company debuted in 2015.

Gelsinger can’t fix the manufacturing problems overnight, and he may have to rely on outsourcing some chipmaking to bitter rival Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, a stopgap strategy that prior CEO Swan set in motion. TSMC has been clocking regular manufacturing improvements, passing Intel by, and is now the leading manufacturer for AMD, Apple, and many others.

Some of the more bullish analysts are already anticipating a home run from Gelsinger, who was a top lieutenant to Intel’s legendary fiery and successful CEO Andy Grove before leaving for VMware parent EMC in 2009.

Gelsinger’s updates should include positive news on the company’s delayed next manufacturing advance, known as 7 nanometer, and a clearer explanation of how much business Intel plans to outsource to Taiwan Semiconductor, UBS analyst Timothy Arcuri noted on Monday. Gelsinger could also offer a long-term vision about how Intel will better compete for future computing demands related to artificial intelligence and machine learning. “We nonetheless see these as the first steps in a multiyear journey which should yield considerable upside for this stock,” Arcuri wrote.

But more cautious analysts like Stacy Rasgon at Bernstein Research aren’t sure Gelsinger can make any quick changes to boost Intel’s competitive position in an industry in which new chip designs can take three to five years to reach market. “There is not much Intel can do to substantially alter the product trajectory over the next several years,” Rasgon noted on Monday. Apple has already dumped Intel chips from its Mac computers for chips based on a design by British chip company Arm, and Amazon is likewise producing an in-house chip based on Arm for new servers, Rasgon added.

Arm is an “underappreciated threat,” Bank of America analyst Vivek Arya agreed in a note last month. It’s not just Apple’s defection but the likelihood that cloud servers at Amazon, Google, and other companies will also shift to cheaper, in-house chips based on Arm. Google just hired longtime Intel exec Uri Frank to head its custom chipmaking push. Meanwhile Nvidia is trying to buy Arm and integrate its designs more closely, though it has run into antitrust objections.

The bottom line? Intel’s share of the highly profitable server market could drop from more than 90% currently to under 70% in 2025, Arya warned.

Gelsinger will need to be very convincing on Tuesday to fend off more customer defections.

About the Author
By Aaron Pressman
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
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

paralegal
AIdisruption
The most reassuring argument about AI and jobs quietly explains why Gen Z can’t get one
By Nick LichtenbergJune 29, 2026
4 hours ago
This summer’s heat is a live stress test for data centers—here’s what it’s revealing in real time
AIData centers
This summer’s heat is a live stress test for data centers—here’s what it’s revealing in real time
By Tristan BoveJune 29, 2026
4 hours ago
Photo of Jim Farley
AIAutos
Ford realized AI wasn’t capable of taking human jobs years ago—and hired 350 ‘gray beard’ engineers to steer its program
By Sasha RogelbergJune 29, 2026
4 hours ago
‘Cop on your wrist’: Wearables offer tons of data, but people are still going to sleep to Netflix and TikTok
HealthBrainstorm Tech
‘Cop on your wrist’: Wearables offer tons of data, but people are still going to sleep to Netflix and TikTok
By Amanda GerutJune 29, 2026
5 hours ago
Strategy cofounder Michael Saylor sits during a conference and looks out into the crowd.
CryptoBitcoin
Strategy may sell up to $1.25 billion in Bitcoin to calm investor jitters
By Camila Grigera NaónJune 29, 2026
6 hours ago
Hyperscalers could end up resembling airlines—plagued by small margins, intense competition, and high expenses, AI skeptic warns 
AIData centers
Hyperscalers could end up resembling airlines—plagued by small margins, intense competition, and high expenses, AI skeptic warns 
By Jason MaJune 29, 2026
6 hours ago

Most Popular

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
Success
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
5 days ago
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
Success
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
By Preston ForeJune 27, 2026
2 days ago
Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
Success
Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
By Sydney LakeJune 29, 2026
6 hours ago
The retired college professor fighting a $313 trespassing ticket in Wisconsin thinks he's part of a national struggle
Environment
The retired college professor fighting a $313 trespassing ticket in Wisconsin thinks he's part of a national struggle
By Catherina GioinoJune 28, 2026
2 days ago
Cristiano Ronaldo is soccer's first-ever billionaire: He went from begging for burgers outside McDonald's to landing a $400 million contract
Success
Cristiano Ronaldo is soccer's first-ever billionaire: He went from begging for burgers outside McDonald's to landing a $400 million contract
By Preston ForeJune 28, 2026
1 day ago
Ex-Google engineer says Larry Page, Sergey Brin and Sundar Pichai share the same trait—it's the lesson he swears by as a $7.2 billion AI CEO
Success
Ex-Google engineer says Larry Page, Sergey Brin and Sundar Pichai share the same trait—it's the lesson he swears by as a $7.2 billion AI CEO
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 28, 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.