Intel

Intel was founded in Mountain View, California by Gordon Moore and Robert Noyce, who had left Fairchild Semiconductor. The name is a portmanteau of 'Integrated Electronics.'

Intel introduced the 1103, the world's first commercially available DRAM (dynamic random-access memory) chip, which put Intel on the map and replaced magnetic core memory.

Intel went public on the newly-formed NASDAQ exchange at $23.50/share, and a month later introduced the 4004, the world's first programmable commercial microprocessor.

Intel introduced the 8086 16-bit microprocessor, which established the x86 instruction set architecture that would power the vast majority of personal computers for decades.

Intel launched the 32-bit 80386 (386) processor with 275,000 transistors, which enabled multitasking operating systems like Windows and propelled the PC industry forward.

Intel launched the Pentium processor, its first brand-named CPU (non-numeric), featuring 3.1 million transistors and an integrated floating-point unit, becoming a household name.

Intel launched the Core 2 Duo processor based on the revolutionary Core microarchitecture, marking a dramatic performance and efficiency improvement and ending the NetBurst era.

Intel launched the Core i7 processor based on the Nehalem architecture, introducing an integrated memory controller, QuickPath Interconnect, and simultaneous multithreading (Hyper-Threading). The Nehalem architecture delivered the biggest performance leap in Intel's history up to that point and established the Core i7 as the gold standard for high-performance desktop and server computing. It marked Intel's successful transition from the Core 2 architecture.

Intel acquired Altera Corporation for $16.7 billion, the largest acquisition in Intel's history at that time. Altera was a leading manufacturer of field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), which Intel integrated with its Xeon processors for data center and AI workloads. The deal marked Intel's expansion beyond CPUs into programmable logic and adaptive computing.

Intel acquired Mobileye, an Israeli autonomous driving technology company, for $15.3 billion. Mobileye was the leading supplier of vision-based advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) to automakers worldwide. The acquisition positioned Intel as a major player in the automotive and self-driving car market. Mobileye later went public again in 2022 while Intel retained majority ownership.

Apple announced it would transition its Mac lineup from Intel processors to its own Apple Silicon chips based on ARM architecture. The decision represented a major blow to Intel's reputation and market position, as one of its most high-profile and lucrative customers began a multi-year transition away from x86 processors, highlighting Intel's manufacturing and performance challenges.

Pat Gelsinger returned to Intel as CEO, announcing the IDM 2.0 strategy that included a massive foundry expansion and $20 billion investment in new fabs to restore Intel's manufacturing leadership.

CEO Pat Gelsinger announced Intel's IDM 2.0 strategy, including the creation of Intel Foundry Services to manufacture chips for external customers, major investments in new fabrication plants in Arizona, Ohio, and Europe, and a partnership with IBM on advanced chip packaging. The strategy marked Intel's most aggressive manufacturing expansion in its history and a bid to regain semiconductor leadership from TSMC and Samsung.

Intel launched its Core Ultra family of processors (Meteor Lake), featuring a dedicated neural processing unit (NPU) for on-device AI acceleration alongside traditional CPU and GPU cores. This marked Intel's most significant architectural change in decades, using a tile-based design with Foveros 3D packaging and introducing AI PC capabilities to the mainstream PC market.

Intel was awarded up to $8.5 billion in direct funding through the US CHIPS and Science Act, the largest grant under the program, to support the construction and expansion of semiconductor fabs in Arizona, Ohio, New Mexico, and Oregon. The funding was part of a broader $100+ billion investment plan across multiple states to rebuild America's domestic chip manufacturing capability.

Intel reached a critical milestone in its turnaround strategy as its Intel 18A process node entered high-volume manufacturing at Fab 52 in Chandler, Arizona, ahead of TSMC's competing N2 node. The 18A node, featuring RibbonFET and PowerVia technologies, represented Intel's most significant process technology achievement in a decade and was central to CEO Pat Gelsinger's IDM 2.0 foundry strategy.

Intel Foundry announced at the VLSI Symposium that Intel 18A-P, the first performance-enhanced variant of its 18A process family, had entered risk production on schedule. The milestone demonstrated progress in Intel's foundry roadmap despite the company still seeking major external customers for its advanced nodes.

Intel announced a USD 15 billion underwritten public offering of common stock with an option for underwriters to purchase an additional USD 2.25 billion, in what may be its first public share sale since listing in 1971. The capital raise is intended to fund capital expenditures and working capital for Intel's foundry expansion, targeting AI chip manufacturing, advanced packaging, and external wafer production. The offering capitalizes on Intel's stock which surged 175% in 2026 on turnaround momentum, as the company competes with TSMC in contract manufacturing for AI accelerators. Joint bookrunners include J.P. Morgan, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and Citigroup.

Intel Foundry announced it has processed more than one million 300mm wafers using ASML's High-NA EUV lithography, the first chipmaker to reach the milestone and more than all other chipmakers combined. The wafers span tool certification, R&D, and volume production of select layers of Core Ultra Series 3 (Panther Lake) processors. The achievement anchors Intel's effort to retake process leadership and sell advanced foundry capacity as it works with ASML on a 6x12-inch large-format photomask transition.