Just two days ago, we found out that a list of details about chip stock Intel’s (INTC) upcoming Panther Lake lineup emerged, and may have been more valid than expected. Things got better from there, meanwhile, as we found out that Intel is planning a formal announcement about the Panther Lake line for tomorrow. Shareholders may have put two and two together here, though, and sent Intel shares down fractionally in Wednesday afternoon’s trading.
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The report noted that Intel wants to make shareholders feel better about the upcoming product roadmap, and wants to show it off accordingly. Given that these will also be part of the first product line made entirely out of the 18A process, that only makes such a show more crucial going forward.
While Intel has been losing a lot of ground in the laptop and PC market to its competitors, the Panther Lake lineup is intended to help get some of that ground back. And with reports noting that the Panther Lake chips use fully 30% less energy than the previous generation, along with a 50% boost in data handling, this could be a worthwhile proposition and an excellent exhibition of what 18A can do.
Picking Up New Clients
Then came some further exciting news, as Intel released an update for its NPU driver in Linux. This may not mean much by itself, but the implications are actually substantial. Reports note that the adjustments are part of a move to support Android PC operations, which is expected to be a thing in 2026.
Alphabet (GOOGL) recently revealed that Android-based notebooks would be hitting the market that year, and Intel updating the NPU driver suggests that Intel will be involved when the Android PC project goes live. Of course, there is some doubt as to whether or not Android PCs can effectively compete against the current crop of PCs. The only way to find out will be to get them in the market.
Is Intel a Buy, Hold or Sell?
Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Hold consensus rating on INTC stock based on two Buys, 26 Holds and five Sells assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 58.44% rally in its share price over the past year, the average INTC price target of $26.48 per share implies 28.61% downside risk.
