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Intel says it’s selling every affordable laptop chip it can make

By · Via The Verge · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Intel's cost-optimized Wildcat Lake processors have completely sold out as hardware manufacturers incorporate them into lower-cost Windows machines like the Dell XPS 13 and HP Omnibook 5 14. While these devices are priced to compete against the MacBook Neo, severe component constraints have frequently limited their configurations to just 8GB of RAM. Company executives warn that memory shortfalls will persist through at least 2028 due to historical supply pressures driven by AI demand. Despite these sustained shortages, Intel maintains that the broader personal computer market is headed toward a renaissance.

Key points

  • Massive demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure is driving one of the semicondu…: Massive demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure is driving one of the semiconductor industry's most significant component shortages in history.
  • Intel executives anticipate memory supply constraints will persist through 2027, with no…: Intel executives anticipate memory supply constraints will persist through 2027, with no relief expected until at least 2028.
  • Memory manufacturer SK Hynix projects component shortages will endure even longer, potent…: Memory manufacturer SK Hynix projects component shortages will endure even longer, potentially continuing all the way through 2030.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

During Intel’s latest earnings call, CEO Lip-Bu Tan said that demand for its budget-focused Wildcat Lake chips “is outstripping supply.” According to CFO David Zinsner, the chips are now sold out. Zinsner said Intel has “seen significant growth in Wildcat Lake. It’s coming exactly at the right time because it’s cost-optimized and we’re seeing a lot of focus in that regard.”

Intel says it’s selling every affordable laptop chip it can make

Intel’s CFO says it’s ‘not optimistic about next year in terms of memory.’

Intel’s CFO says it’s ‘not optimistic about next year in terms of memory.’

As shortages of RAM and other components have driven up PC prices over recent months, Intel’s Wildcat Lake chips have been appearing in new lower-cost Windows laptops on par with the MacBook Neo, like the new Dell XPS 13 or the HP Omnibook 5 14. Wildcat Lake laptops like these have budget-friendly starting prices, but often with just 8GB of RAM, which Windows laptops can struggle to get by on.

Intel doesn’t expect the memory shortage to improve any time soon. Zinsner…

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