Making Tech Headlines · Page 5
Intel's Budget Chip Becomes the Thing Everyone Can Afford but Not Everyone Can Find
· New York time
Intel says demand for its budget-focused Wildcat Lake laptop chips is outstripping supply. CEO Lip-Bu Tan described the imbalance during the company's earnings call, and CFO David Zinsner said the chips are sold out. Zinsner also reported significant growth for the line. The chips are aimed at affordable laptops, a category where buyers may care more about getting a practical machine at a manageable price than about owning the most elaborate hardware. Intel's comments show strong demand for that part of its lineup, even as the company has to contend with limited supply. A sold-out chip is not the same thing as every laptop containing it disappearing from store shelves. Computer makers package processors into many different products, and availability to shoppers depends on more than one component. Still, the report gives Intel an appealing problem: a cost-optimized product is attracting enough interest to exceed what is available. For a chipmaker, selling everything on offer is an encouraging line for an earnings call. For someone trying to buy an inexpensive computer, the appeal of affordable hardware includes the ability to actually find it. The budget category has managed a neat reversal: the low-cost component is getting the sort of attention usually reserved for the luxury model.
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