Intel shares plunge over 20% as PC slowdown hits guidance

· Finance · United States

Intel shares fell more than 20% after the chipmaker blamed a struggling PC market for weak guidance, heading toward its worst drop in two years. Rising memory-chip prices are denting demand for laptops, and corporate IT teams have less budget to refresh hardware, stretching a PC slowdown that Intel said now extends into 2027. The slump is a sharp reversal for a stock that had been a Wall Street favorite this year on the strength of Intel's emergence as an artificial intelligence player. The warning weighed on memory-chip peers, with Kioxia already under pressure after losing more than half its market value from its peak as the sector's top gainer.

Why it matters：Intel's warning shows the PC downcycle outlasting the AI boom, a split that will force chipmakers and memory suppliers to rethink where growth comes from next.

Key points

  • Intel blamed memory-chip price inflation and tight corporate IT budgets for weak laptop demand.
  • The company said the PC slowdown stretches into 2027.
  • The stock had been a 2026 Wall Street favorite on Intel's AI positioning.

Sources (original reporting)

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