This article first appeared on GuruFocus.
Intel (INTC, Financials) is entering what experts term a new growth phase. This is thanks to its 18A manufacturing process, which is the company’s most advanced chip technology to date, and a strategic push backed by U.S. industrial policy that favors making semiconductors in the U.S.The chipmaker’s stock has gone up more than 100% since early 2025, thanks to government incentives, its restructuring efforts, and its return to profitability in the third quarter of last year. CEO Lip-Bu Tan now leads the company.The 18A process’s successful launch, which brings Intel back to the cutting edge of chip manufacturing, is seen as an important step in regaining credibility as a foundry for big clients. Analysts think that the new node will draw in clients who want to make things in the U.S. because supply chain diversity is still a governmental and business aim.Under Tan’s leadership, Intel has also benefited from decreasing costs, being more disciplined in its operations, and getting things done better. Some experts, on the other hand, say that the stock’s high price makes it hard to make mistakes when competition from Nvidia and AMD heats up.Still, many are feeling better about Intel’s manufacturing plans and its revised foundry goals as we approach into 2026.