Intel Saves The Tech Day, Sees 15-Year High For Sales Growth, “Unprecedented Demand”

After a dismal day that saw tech stocks wrecked on the shores of hyperscalers’ CapEx and inferred from Alphabet’s earnings, tonight sees Intel’s Lip-Bu Tan ride to the rescue with better-than-expected second-quarter results on Thursday, notching its fastest revenue growth rate for any quarter since 2011 and issuing guidance that topped expectations. 

Beat on the top- and bottom-line:

• Earnings per share: 42 cents, adjusted, versus 21 cents expected

• Revenue: $16.1 billion, versus $14.42 billion expected

Upped Guidance: For the current quarter, Intel said it expects adjusted earnings per share of 38 cents on revenue between $15.8 billion and $16.8 billion.

Analysts were expecting revenue of $15.1 billion and EPS of 27 cents, according to consensus.

“AI is driving unprecedented demand for compute,” CEO Lip-Bu Tan said in the statement.

“As we continue to execute, Intel is well-positioned to capture sustainable growth across our CPU franchise.”

Additionally, Intel said it’s boosting its capital expenditures, targeting a “meaningful increase” next year, as it aggressively tries to morph into a manufacturer of chips for other companies.

CFO David Zinsner told CNBC’s Kristina Partsinevelos that the company’s latest manufacturing process, called 14A, is ahead of where older technologies were at the same point in the cycle.

INTC is up around 10% from the close…

And that narrative-confirmer is pulling all of tech higher (Nasdaq futs)…

Finally, however, Intel did not reveal a major customer for its foundry, as investors and potential customers keep waiting.