Intel says its budget Wildcat Lake laptop chips are sold out
US chipmaker Intel said demand for its low-cost Wildcat Lake processors exceeds supply and that the chips are sold out. The company does not expect the memory shortage to ease in 2027.
Intel, the US semiconductor maker, said during its latest earnings call that demand for its budget-oriented Wildcat Lake processors is higher than it can produce. Chief financial officer David Zinsner said the chips are now sold out, a sign of growing interest in cheaper PCs while component shortages push computer prices up.
Demand for cheaper PCs
CEO Lip-Bu Tan said demand for Wildcat Lake is outstripping supply. Zinsner said Intel has seen significant growth in the line, arriving at the right time because the chips are cost-optimized and the market is focused on price.
Wildcat Lake chips are used in new lower-cost Windows laptops priced on par with Apple's MacBook Neo, including the Dell XPS 13 and the HP Omnibook 5 14. These laptops have budget-friendly starting prices, but often come with only 8GB of RAM, which Windows machines can struggle to work with.
Memory shortage to continue
Shortages of RAM and other components have raised PC prices over recent months. Asked about memory supply, Zinsner said Intel is not optimistic about next year, adding that the company expects no improvement in 2027 and will have to see whether things get better in 2028. That is more optimistic than the forecast from SK Hynix, the South Korean memory maker, which expects the RAM shortage to last through 2030.
Tan also acknowledged a slowdown in PC demand, saying the industry is working through one of the most significant supply shortages in its history, driven by unprecedented demand for AI computing. Even so, Zinsner said he believes the PC market will go through a renaissance despite the shortage.
