It is well-known that in the past two years, the field of AI has been booming, with companies like NVIDIA (NVDA.US), Intel (INTC.US), and IBM (IBM.US) experiencing significant stock price increases due to AI.

However, Intel's latest disclosed performance seems to have disappointed investors, with its stock price plummeting by 7.75% after the market closed on April 25 (all times referred to below are Eastern Time).

It is worth mentioning that, excluding the after-hours drop on April 25, Intel had already accumulated a decline of 29.92% in 2024.

On April 25, Intel released its Q1 report for 2024.

The data shows that, under Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), Intel's revenue for the first quarter increased by 9% year-over-year to $12.72 billion, which is right in the middle of the guidance range of $12.2 billion to $13.2 billion; during the period, the net loss attributable to the parent company was $380 million, which is a significant narrowing compared to the loss of $2.76 billion in the same period last year.

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In comparison, Intel faced a loss again in the first quarter, but according to feedback, its profit performance was actually slightly better than expected.

Under Non-GAAP, Intel's net profit attributable to the parent company for the first quarter was $800 million, turning a loss into profit year-over-year.

Additionally, Intel's gross margin was 45.1%, an increase of 6.7 percentage points year-over-year, exceeding previous guidance and market expectations.

Regarding the aforementioned performance, Intel's Chief Financial Officer stated that the first quarter's revenue met the company's expectations, and the company's Non-GAAP earnings per share exceeded expectations, driven by better-than-expected gross margins and strong expense discipline.

Although the overall performance in the first quarter was better than expected, a closer look reveals that some businesses have disappointed investors.

In the first quarter, Intel adjusted its business structure.

For the first time, Intel combined the chip manufacturing outsourcing business - Intel Foundry Services (IFS) with foundry technology development, foundry manufacturing, and supply chain into Intel Foundry, accounting for its quarterly revenue and profit and loss separately.

Additionally, in the first quarter, Intel merged the Client Computing Group (CCG), which focuses on PC chips, the Data Center and AI (DCAI), and the Network and Edge (NEX) into "Intel Products"; and merged the previously named Programmable Solutions business Altera, the autonomous driving technology company Mobileye, and other startups into "Others".

Looking at the business segments, the revenue from the Client Computing Group increased by 31% year-over-year to $7.53 billion, growing more than 30% for two consecutive quarters, which is good news.

The most concerning area for everyone is the Data Center and AI business unit.

In the first quarter, the revenue of the Data Center and AI business reached $3.04 billion, with a year-over-year growth rate of 5%, which is somewhat disappointing to investors.

However, there are reasons for the moderate growth rate of the Data Center and AI business, after all, Intel's main focus is on CPUs, while current AI chips are GPUs, and not long ago, Intel launched the AI chip Gaudi3 to compete with NVIDIA.

Intel stated that the Gaudi3 chip will be available to customers in the third quarter.

In addition to competing with NVIDIA, Intel's foundry business has also claimed to take on TSMC (TSM.US).

The data shows that in the first quarter, the foundry business's revenue was $4.37 billion, a year-over-year decrease of 10%; the operating loss was $2.47 billion, slightly expanded from the same period last year.

Although Intel's foundry business has also received support and orders from companies like Microsoft (MSFT.US), there is still a long way to go to achieve breakeven.

Moreover, Intel's after-hours stock price drop is also related to the second quarter's performance guidance that did not meet expectations.

Intel forecasts that in the second quarter of 2024, the company's revenue will be in the range of $12.5 billion to $13.5 billion.

In terms of profit outlook, under GAAP, Intel expects a loss per share of $0.05 for the second quarter; under Non-GAAP, the loss per share is $0.1 billion.

This outlook is below analyst expectations.

Additionally, under GAAP, Intel expects a gross margin of 40.2% for the second quarter; under Non-GAAP, the gross margin is 43.5%.

Intel's CFO also stated that the company is expected to achieve year-over-year revenue growth and Non-GAAP EPS growth in 2024, with a full-year gross margin increase of about 200 basis points.

Intel was once the king of chips, but in recent years, it has seemed a bit unsteady.

This time, AI has set off a new wave in the chip field, with NVIDIA already reaping the benefits, while Intel has not benefited much so far, and whether it can catch up is worth continued attention.

Judging from the stock price feedback, investors do not seem to be very optimistic.