Intel Corp (NASDAQ: INTC) is facing a crucial struggle for survival amid fierce competition in the semiconductor industry.
The once-dominant company now confronts challenges from various rivals, including Qualcomm Inc (NASDAQ: QCOM), Nvidia Corp (NASDAQ: NVDA), Advanced Micro Devices, Inc (NASDAQ: AMD), Amlogic, and MediaTek, endangering the iconic "Intel Inside" brand on PCs.
This shift results from decades of ARM Holdings Plc's (NASDAQ: ARM) growth in the mobile processor market, which Intel failed to penetrate effectively, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) pioneered ARM-based processors in desktop computers, gaining a significant advantage over Intel and others in chip design focused on energy efficiency.
The move has influenced other major players like Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ: GOOG) (NASDAQ: GOOGL) Google, Qualcomm, and Amazon.Com Inc (NASDAQ: AMZN) to design custom chips based on ARM's architecture, primarily manufactured by Samsung Electronics Co (OTC: SSNLF) and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (NYSE: TSM).
Intel's market share faces a threat as Apple moves away from Intel chips, and Google's Chromebooks and Microsoft Corp's (NASDAQ: MSFT) Windows devices increasingly adopt non-Intel processors.
Apple's market share in desktops and notebooks has risen significantly, intensifying the competition.
Microsoft, once a close ally in the "Wintel" partnership, is distancing itself from Intel. Microsoft's focus on cloud-based Windows experiences and ARM-based data center chips signifies a significant shift.
Amazon's cloud-streamed Windows devices and Qualcomm's ARM-based chips for notebooks further pressure Intel.
Despite these challenges, Intel remains a formidable competitor, planning new chip generations and aiming to match TSMC's manufacturing technology by 2025.
Price Action: INTC shares traded lower by 0.66% at $43.45 premarket on the last check Monday.