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Intel (INTC) Sets Milestone With 4th-Gen Xeon Processor Launch

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Intel Corporation (INTC - Free Report) recently unveiled the 4th-Generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors, Intel Xeon CPU Max Series and Intel Data Center GPU Max Series, in a concerted effort to bring the company to the forefront of the processor market amid intense competitive pressure. With a purpose-built workload-first approach, the products mark a landmark achievement by this chip manufacturer and are likely to strengthen its leading market position.

Code-named Sapphire Rapids, the 4th Gen Xeon Scalable processor is designed to solve computing challenges at scale with built-in accelerators optimized for specific workloads that deliver increased performance at higher efficiency for an optimal total cost of ownership (TCO). It offers 2.9x average performance per watt efficiency improvement compared to previous generations for targeted workloads when utilizing built-in accelerators. In addition, it delivers up to 70-watt power savings per CPU in optimized power mode with minimal performance loss for select workloads and a 52% to 66% lower TCO, making it Intel’s most sustainable data center processor.

The Xeon processor and the Intel Max Series product family integrate CPU and GPU with oneAPI’s open software ecosystem for demanding computing workloads, which enables them to solve the world’s most challenging problems. The Xeon CPU Max Series is reportedly the only x86-based processor with high bandwidth memory that accelerates computing speed without requiring code changes. The Data Center GPU Max Series packs more than 100 billion transistors into a 47-tile package, solving challenging workloads like physics, financial services and life sciences.

In September 2022, Intel launched the 13th-Generation Intel Core Processor. Codenamed Raptor Lake, the top-of-the-line version of the chip, the Core i9-13900K, is reportedly the fastest desktop processor (with a top speed of 5.8Ghz) with 24 processing cores that are broken down into eight performance cores and 16 efficiency cores. Leveraging Intel 7 process and x86 performance hybrid architecture, the chip enables up to 15% better single-threaded performance and up to 41% better multi-threaded performance per company standards.

Intel is betting big on the IoT business and is investing heavily to gain a higher market presence. While the focus was earlier on making the best computing chips and generating industry-leading margins from them, the company now prefers to focus on a product range targeting different market segments. Management believes that the higher-end business in more developed economies continues to look up, but the new strategy should help it get into many more device categories, where Intel products will continue to enjoy a premium based on performance and TCO.

However, the imposition of tariffs owing to the trade war between the United States and China, and the coronavirus outbreak is anticipated to negatively impact growth prospects. The uncertainty over the economic impact of the coronavirus crisis has affected investors’ confidence and is likely to remain an overhang on the company’s performance. An impending global recession is anticipated to weigh on IOTG end markets, especially retail and industrial.

The stock has lost 47.2% over the past year compared with the industry’s decline of 37.6%.
 

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Intel currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Here are some better-ranked stocks from the broader industry.

Ooma Inc. (OOMA - Free Report) , sporting a Zacks Rank #1, delivered an earnings surprise of 21.7%, on average, in the trailing four quarters. Earnings estimates for Ooma for the current year have moved up 37.8% since March 2022. It has a VGM Score of B.

Ooma offers communications services and related technologies for businesses and consumers in the United States and Canada. It helps to create powerful connected experiences for businesses and consumers through its smart cloud-based SaaS platform.

Arista Networks, Inc. (ANET - Free Report) , sporting a Zacks Rank #1, is likely to benefit from the strong momentum and diversification across its top verticals and product lines. The company has a software-driven, data-centric approach to help customers build their cloud architecture and enhance their cloud experience. Arista has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 17.5% and delivered an earnings surprise of 12.7%, on average, in the trailing four quarters.

It holds a leadership position in 100-gigabit Ethernet switching share in port for the high-speed datacenter segment. Arista is increasingly gaining market traction in 200- and 400-gig high-performance switching products and remains well-positioned for healthy growth in data-driven cloud networking business with proactive platforms and predictive operations.

Clearfield, Inc. (CLFD - Free Report) , sporting a Zacks Rank #1, is a leading provider of communication networks, telecom services and support solutions. The company is witnessing a strong demand environment, largely driven by an effort by rural broadband operators to establish themselves as dominant broadband access providers. In addition, Clearfield is gaining traction with Tier 2 carriers that aim to extend their fiber connectivity across the country.

Headquartered in Minneapolis, MN, Clearfield has gained 17.8% over the past year. It delivered an earnings surprise of 39.7%, on average, in the trailing four quarters.

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