📉Intel Shares Plunge 28% as Q4 Revenue Guidance Misses by $1B

Your PC upgrade just got more expensive and slower

Intel just had its worst day in years, and the reason is simple: it can't make enough chips. The stock dropped about 28% on Friday, wiping roughly $12 billion off the value of the government's 10% stake and dragging Nvidia down with it. Even after the crash, Intel is still up more than 70% for the year, so this is a pullback from a big run, not a collapse. Why should you care? Because the AI boom is now squeezing the boring stuff. Demand for memory and components from AI data centers is driving PC prices up, and PC sales are getting hurt. If you're budgeting for new laptops or workstations this year, expect higher sticker prices and fewer deals. The numbers are rough. Intel guided Q4 revenue to $15-16 billion against analyst expectations near $17 billion. Gross margin is expected to fall to 37%, and Intel expects no positive cash flow. The bright spot is data center revenue, which grew 78% year over year, but Intel says that business is capped until it adds fab capacity. Watch the fabs. Arizona is operational, but the next Intel fab isn't expected online until 2028, which means the supply crunch isn't going away soon.