(Rewrite paragraph 1 to reflect new deals with Nvidia and add the latest developments)
Nvidia announced plans to invest $5 billion in Intel on Thursday, offering a new lease of life to the crisis-rising chipmaker.
Intel was once an uncontroversial leader in chip manufacturing, but has fallen into a difficult time after missing out on the AI boom, but its longtime rival AMD has gained a share in the semiconductor market of its flagship personal computers and servers.
This is the timeline of major events that have shaped the chip maker.
1968 – Robert Nois and Gordon Moore found Inter and helped rebuild California's Santa Clara Valley from Fruit Lajude into a Silicon Valley Tech Hub.
1971 – Intel is introducing the 4004, the world's first commercially built, programmable microprocessor with 2,300 transistors. These were one of the first chips that could be programmed to perform certain functions, unlike previous processors that were hardwired on only certain tasks. This is a turning point in the history of the semiconductor industry, which laid the foundation for CPU development.
1981 – Intel's 8088 microprocessor is equipped with 29,000 transistors, making it the brain of IBM personal computers and launches the era of personal computing.
1982- Co-founded by Fairchild Semiconductors in 1969, Advanced Micro Devices became the second producer of Intel 8086 microprocessors. The partnership would later spark a long legal battle over AMD's rights to use Intel's X86 chip architecture. This is the basis for most of today's PC and server chips. 1985 – Intel decided to withdraw from the Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) market – the first claim to fame – prompts demand to focus on microprocessors. It cut the workforce, dumped thousands of workers until the end of the decade, and was hurt by the industry-wide recession brought about by memory oversupport.
1987 – Andy Grove, famous for his motto, became Intel's third CEO, leading the company through a massive slump in the chip market. Intel has solidified its position as a lynchpin in the US semiconductor industry, whilst players like AMD and National Semiconductor are struggling.
1991 – Intel launched a PC “Intel Inside” marketing campaign using chips, and TV commercials become a cultural phenomenon.
1993 – Intel has introduced Pentium Microprocessors, boasting 3.1 million transistors, running 300 times faster than the 8088.
1999 – Intel and Windows Maker Microsoft, an ally known as Wintel, became the first two high-tech companies to be added to the prestigious Dow Jones Industrial Average.
1999 – NVIDIA introduces the first graphics processing unit (GPU) to become a critical fixture for PCs and servers in the 2000s with the advent of gaming and multimedia applications. Intel's development strategy remains focused on CPUs and ultimately reported that it had a head start with the AI revolution of the 2020s.
Intel's stock market value, driven by the 2000 -DOT -COM bubble, reaches a record $49.5 billion when Microsoft, Cisco Systems and Dell benefit from the explosion of computer sales. By the second half of 2024, Intel's value will be below $100 billion.
2007 – Apple launches the iPhone and helps Intel launch a mobile phone boom that mostly missed. Under CEO Paul Otellini, Intel has turned down a contract to create an iPhone processor. Instead, Apple used the chip based on the ARM Holdings design. The technology currently dominates the mobile market.
2013 – Otellini resigns as CEO amidst investor pressure. Former Chief Operating Officer Brian Kurzanich has become CEO and focused on diversifying business beyond PC into the data center market and automotive chips through acquisitions such as Altera and Mobileye.
Under CEO Krzanich, 2014-16, Intel is focusing on the company's engineers, refusing to use next-generation equipment used in extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) technology, which is essential for next-generation chips, and believing that it will “never work.” A fateful decision has brought Intel's design and manufacturing back for about five years.
2017-Samsung is overtaking US companies as the world's largest chipmaker due to revenue as prices skyrocketed at Samsung's memory market base. At the same time, Intel measures manufacturing technology, leading to customers, including Apple, and TSMC in Taiwan, the world's largest contracted chip manufacturer.
2018 -Krzanich is taking the initiative in increasing production set-ups. Chief Financial Officer Bob Swann will become interim CEO. The company has rejected offers to invest in Openai later that year. Swan doesn't think generative AI will reach the market in the near future. By 2024, Openai has a greater market rating than Intel.
2020 – Intel's annual revenue is $77.877 billion, strengthened by PCS pandemic sales. Revenues will decline as Intel is struggling with increasing competition between AMD and Nvidia. Nvidia will overtake Intel in terms of market value as its GPUs become a key chip in its generation AI technology.
2021 – Pat Gelsinger became CEO and earned praise from investors hoping for a turnaround after deepening manufacturing setbacks and losing market share. He focuses on turning Intel into chip producers from other “Fabless” companies, including his “five node” plan, which costs billions of dollars and includes SAP Intel's cash flow and margins. Intel has announced a $20 billion planned investment in two Arizona manufacturing facilities.
2022 – Intel's market value sinks under AMD as small chip makers eat up Intel's share of the server CPU and PC chip market and become Nvidia's most frightening challenger. A veteran semiconductor lip butane will be added to Intel's board.
2024-Intel announces plans to invest $100 billion in four US to build and expand the factory after securing federal grants and loans aimed at strengthening US chip manufacturing. It cuts 17,500 jobs, suspends dividends and embarks on its financial manufacturing turnaround.
2024 – Tan has stepped down from the Intel committee over the company's bloated workforce, risk aversion culture and delays in the artificial intelligence strategy, according to Reuters sources.
2024 -Qualcomm is considering obtaining a fragment of Intel Chip Design Business, sources told Reuters. Intel will later consider spinning the manufacturing department.
2024 – Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger will step down before completing his turnaround strategy.
March 12, 2025 – Intel says it aims to restore the company's “world-class status” by appointing CHIP industry veteran Lip-Bu Tan as CEO.
April 14, 2025 – Intel has revealed plans to sell 51% of Altera to private equity firm Silver Lake, valuering a $8.755 billion unit, far below Intel's nearly $17 billion paid in 2015.
July 24, 2025 – Tan pledges to make Intel's tactics lean and build factory capacity only if there is a demand to match it. The company said it would further reduce its staff to 75,000 by the end of the year, which fell 22% from the end of 2024.
August 7, 2025 – US President Donald Trump calls for the immediate resignation of Tan, who calls him “very conflicted” due to his relationship with Chinese companies.
August 19, 2025 – Intel has received a $2 billion capital injection from SoftBank Group.
August 22, 2025 – The US government acquires approximately 10% of Intel's stake for $8.9 billion by converting government grants into stock shares.
September 18, 2025 – NVIDIA plans to invest $5 billion in Intel's common stock and work with struggling chip makers to develop PC and data center chips. With this share, Nvidia will become one of Intel's largest shareholders, offering a company of about 4% or more after new shares are issued to close the transaction.
(Reporting by Noel Randuich, Max A. Cherny, Kritika Lamba, Pooja Menon, Arsheya Baziva and Harsita Mary Barghese, edited by Peter Henderson, Claudia Parsons, Tasim Zahid and Anil Di Silva)
