Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC) is scheduled to release its first-quarter 2026 financial results today, April 23, following the close of regular market trading. The report marks a significant milestone in the company’s multi-year turnaround strategy, now led by Chief Executive Officer Lip-Bu Tan, who assumed the role in early 2025. Chief Financial Officer David Zinsner will join Tan for a live webcast at 2:00 p.m. PT to discuss the company’s performance and strategic progress.
For the first quarter, Intel’s management previously provided a revenue guidance range of $11.7 billion to $12.7 billion, with a midpoint of $12.2 billion. The company projected non-GAAP earnings per share to be approximately $0.00, reflecting a period of heavy capital investment and startup costs. Non-GAAP gross margin for the quarter was forecasted at 34.5%. These projections were issued during the fourth-quarter 2025 earnings call, where management highlighted that the first quarter of 2026 would represent a trough in profitability as the company scales its newest manufacturing nodes.
The results are expected to provide the first comprehensive look at the volume ramp of the Intel 18A process node. This 1.8nm-class technology is the first to utilize RibbonFET gate-all-around transistors and PowerVia backside power delivery. Intel’s first 18A product, the Core Ultra Series 3 mobile processor (codenamed Panther Lake), began shipping to original equipment manufacturers in January 2026. The company has stated that 18A is the primary vehicle for its goal to achieve process leadership by the end of 2026.
In the weeks leading up to today’s report, Intel announced two major strategic developments. On April 1, 2026, the company reached a definitive agreement to repurchase the 49% stake in its Fab 34 facility in Leixlip, Ireland, from Apollo Global Management for $14.2 billion. This transaction returns full control of the high-volume EUV (Extreme Ultraviolet) facility to Intel. Subsequently, on April 7, Intel announced it had joined Elon Musk’s Terafab project as the lead foundry partner. This $25 billion joint venture with Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI is designed to produce custom AI silicon using the 18A node at a new facility in Austin, Texas.
The Intel Foundry segment remains under close observation, having reported an external customer backlog of approximately $15 billion at the end of 2025. The company’s domestic manufacturing expansion continues to be supported by the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act, which provides $8.5 billion in direct grants and $11 billion in loans. Within the Data Center and AI group, the performance of the Gaudi 3 and Gaudi 4 accelerators will be a key metric as Intel competes for share in the enterprise generative AI market.