Intel Q2 sees ‘strongest revenue growth in more than 15 years’
The US semiconductor and computing giant declared a revenue of $16.1bn for the period.
Intel has published markedly strong financial results for the second quarter of 2026 that exceeded financial analysts’ expectations.
The US semiconductor and computing giant declared a revenue of $16.1bn for the period, up by 25pc from $12.9bn in Q2 2025 and more than the anticipated ceiling of $14.8bn declared at the end of the first quarter of 2026.
“AI is driving unprecedented demand for compute, and as we continue to execute, Intel is well-positioned to capture sustainable growth across our CPU franchise, ASICs, advanced packaging and vast wafer foundry network,” said Lip-Bu Tan, Intel’s CEO.
“Our Q2 results represent our strongest revenue growth in more than 15 years, enabled by greater speed, accountability and customer focus.”
Gross margin grew to around 40pc from around 28pc year-on-year, while Intel generated $7bn in cash from operations during the recent quarter, it said.
Intel’s Foundry revenue for Q2 was up 31pc year-on-year to $5.8bn; its Client Computing and Physical AI Group grew by 13pc to $8.9bn; and the division for data centres and AI was up 59pc to $6.3bn.
“AI-driven compute continues to strengthen, and to support expected growth this year and next across products and foundry, we are meaningfully increasing our investments in equipment, clean room space and substrates,” said Dave Zinsner, Intel’s CFO.
The company anticipates revenue in the third quarter of 2026 to hit between $15.8bn and $16.8bn, and projects a gross margin of 41pc.
The company’s share price increased by up to 4pc during trading hours yesterday following publication of its financial results.
Intel is estimated to have reduced its headcount by more than 35,000 employees since 2024, with major cuts announced in both 2024 and 2025.
Earlier this month, the company announced a major investment in its Kildare, Ireland facility, where Intel intends to spend €5bn on the Leixlip campus.
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