Colin is an Associate Editor focused on tech and financial news. He has more than three years of experience editing, proofreading, and fact-checking content on current financial events and politics. He received his M.A. in journalism from The New School and his B.A. in history and political science from McGill University. Kabir Jhangiani / NurPhoto via Getty Images Shares of Intel (INTC) jumped more than 6% on Wednesday as investors grew more optimistic about the future of its chip manufacturing business. Intel earlier this week unveiled its new "Panther Lake" AI PC chips, its first product made with its long-awaited 18A manufacturing process. The launch marked a milestone for the company that has for years been trying to prove it's capable of developing and scaling cutting-edge chip manufacturing processes. Intel's foundry business entered 2025 in dire straits. The company’s CEO Pat Gelsinger had just been ousted after years of overseeing an expensive and largely fruitless effort to make Intel a viable competitor to chip manufacturing powerhouse Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSM). Chip industry veteran Lip-Bu Tan was made CEO in March. He immediately began cutting costs and selling assets to stanch the bleeding, but shares remained under pressure amid uncertainty about the foundry's future.  Intel is seen by many as the only viable U.S. alternative to the Asian manufacturers that make essentially all of the world's most advanced semiconductors. This week's Panther Lake launch may increase Wall Street's and Silicon Valley's confidence in Intel's manufacturing abilities. Then, in August, a chummy meeting between Tan and President Trump changed everything. The Trump administration announced a nearly $10 billion investment in the company, making the U.S. government Intel’s largest shareholder. A month later, Nvidia (NVDA) came on board, agreeing to invest $5 billion and collaborate with its competitor.  Investors liked the infusions of cash, as well as the optics of support from the federal government and the world’s most valuable company. Shares soared out of their slump, more than doubling in value between early August and December.  In recent months, investors have grown increasingly confident that the company’s backers can keep it afloat. “Nvidia’s a great shareholder. They’re going to help them. The Trump administration’s going to help them,” Ben Reitzes, head of technology research at Melius Research, told CNBC on Wednesday.  Nvidia has vowed to collaborate with Intel on data center technology, giving the latter a role in the rapid buildout of AI data centers currently underway. (Though it stopped short of committing to use Intel's foundry.) And the Trump administration, eager to assert America’s industrial might amid escalating tensions with China, is expected to champion Intel’s chip manufacturing business on national security grounds.  “As we go throughout 2026, we’ll hear more good news about their future foundry prospects,” predicted Reitzes, who expects tech giants like Nvidia and Apple (AAPL) will be interested in Intel’s next-generation 14A manufacturing process when its rolled out in the coming years. Rumors that Apple is considering becoming an Intel foundry customer began circulating late last year. Intel shares have gained 15% in the first four trading sessions of 2026. Intel Corp. "CES 2026: Intel Core Ultra Series 3 Debuts as First Built on Intel 18A." CNBC. “Watch CNBC’s full interview with Melius Research’s Ben Reitzes.”