Intel posts $16.1B in quarterly sales, strongest revenue growth in more than 15 years

Intel on Thursday put a big number behind the vibes and not-quite-firm reports that had fueled optimism about its turnaround hopes in the past year.

The chipmaker reported second quarter sales of $16.1 billion, up 25% year over year and well above its guidance and consensus estimates around $14.3 billion.

The results arrived after tech stocks, including Intel’s, were battered again during regular trading Thursday. Intel shares immediately shot up more than 10% in after-hours trading when the markets closed, and retreated slightly to trade about 5.8% higher, but didn’t maintain that momentum in early trading Friday.

“Our Q2 results represent our strongest revenue growth in more than fifteen years, enabled by greater speed, accountability, and customer focus,” CEO Lip-Bu Tan said in a written statement.

Tan cited demand related to artificial intelligence for the big sales bounce.

Intel’s central processing units were forgotten in the earlier phase of the AI buildout that was focused on chatbots that relied largely on graphics processing units. Now, though, CPUs are in great demand for use with AI agents, which coordinate and complete specific goals.

Sales for Intel’s client data center and AI group were $6.3 billion, up 59% year over year, in the quarter. PC group sales were up 13% to $8.9 billion.

Intel patted itself on the back for improved execution, a challenge for the company as it fell from its semiconductor leadership role in the past decade. CFO David Zinsner credited “higher factory yields and improved cycle times.”

Intel employs some 10,000 workers in Arizona, making it one of the Valley’s largest employers.

The quarterly results come days after Intel announced more upcoming job cuts, though layoff numbers for Arizona were not immediately clear. The company’s global employment declined from 125,000 at the end of 2023 to 85,000 at the end of 2025, according to the company’s annual reports.