Intel’s Stock More Than Doubles in April, Best Month in 55 Years
Synopsis
Intel's stock surged 114% in April, its best month in 55 years on the Nasdaq, after a blowout earnings result sent shares to their highest level since 2000. Agentic AI has revived demand for Intel's core CPU business, with major customers including Google, Microsoft, and Amazon scrambling for supply. The US government's 10 per cent stake in Intel, worth over $40 billion today, and Elon Musk's Terafab deal have added further confidence. Intel is also targeting billions in annual revenue from advanced chip packaging as AI infrastructure constraints intensify globally.
Intel just had its biggest month ever in the stock market, up 114% in April alone. The chipmaker has spent years on its back foot. Still, now, driven by AI demand, a government lifeline and a new CEO, the company is staging one of the most dramatic corporate turnarounds in history.
Key Highlights
- Shares of Intel almost doubled in April.
- 24% in a single-day advance, for the first time since 2000.
- After hitting its worst-ever year in 2024, the stock is now nearly five times higher
- The US government owns 10% of Intel (worth over $40 billion at current prices) following an $8.9bn investment in August.
- Backed by Musk’s Terafab in Texas, the chip company has already signed Intel to build for SpaceX, xAI and Tesla.
Intel Just Had Its Greatest Month in 55 Years, Here’s Why
The biggest monthly rally in the history of the chipmaker on the Nasdaq happened for Intel’s stock in April, a gain of 114%. The rally was sparked on April 24 by a blowout first-quarter earnings report that sent shares soaring 24% in one day and pushed the stock to an all-time high for the first time since 2000.
In the most recent quarter, revenue increased by more than 7%, marking a major reversal after declines in five of the previous seven reporting periods. CEO Lip-Bu Tan took the role in March 2025, introduced cost-cutting measures, cancelled failing enterprises, and paid close attention from day one.
CPUs Are Back, and it’s AI Driving Growth
For years the story has been all about AI chips and Nvidia GPUs. That is starting to change. Agentic artificial intelligence, a type that would drive actions and run complex tasks independently using AI systems is leading a powerful new demand resurgence in Intel central processing units. In March, Nvidia itself told CNBC “CPUs are becoming the bottleneck” for AI.
Bank of America expects the CPU market could have more than doubled by 2030. Tan told participants on Intel’s earnings call that its data centre CPU demand is now greater than supply, and that the world’s major hyperscaler customers, Google, Microsoft and Amazon, are all clamouring for extra computers. “CPUs are ‘cool’ again,” said Patrick Moorhead, CEO of Moore Insights & Strategy who has covered Intel for 35 years.
Intel is 10% Owned by the US Government
Intel’s revival did not happen in isolation. Last August, the US government acquired a 10% stake in Intel by investing $8.9 billion, largely through grants pledged under the CHIPS Act, which President Biden signed into law in 2022. The Trump administration supported the deal as part of a wider effort to bring advanced chip production back to America.
Intel competes with TSMC and Samsung, the only three US-based chipmakers capable of producing the most advanced microchips that power AI, which makes the U.S. government's stake in it more than $40 billion.
Terafab Deal Is Opening New Revenue Streams For Advanced Packaging
Intel is also moving beyond chips alone into advanced packaging, the complex process of attaching chip components to create a larger system. Intel’s EMIB packaging technology is even more sophisticated than TSMC’s best-in-class CoWoS process, as Nvidia has locked up most of TSMC’s high-end packaging capacity; advanced packaging now becomes the next choke point in AI chip supply.
Intel’s CFO said that advanced packaging will now generate billions of dollars a year, up from hundreds of millions previously. Among the growing number of customers are Amazon, Cisco, SpaceX and even Tesla with Elon Musk’s Terafab chip enclave in Austin.
FAQs
- Has the Intel share price risen in April?
Yes, Intel’s share price has grown 114%, registering its single best month in 55 years on the Nasdaq.
- How has Intel become so valuable?
AI has revived a once-slow CPU market. Intel’s new 18A chipset is proving to be game-changing.
- What percentage of Intel does the US government own?
They own 10% of the business, which is worth in excess of $40 billion.
- Is Intel’s recovery sustainable?
After years of declines, revenues are finally on the up again, but analysts cautioned investors that they may not even keep pace with the fundamentals.
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