Intel cannot keep up with demand for its cheapest laptop processors. On the company’s latest earnings call, CEO Lip-Bu Tan said demand for the budget-focused Wildcat Lake chips “is outstripping supply.”
CFO David Zinsner went further and confirmed the line is effectively gone. “We’ve seen significant growth in Wildcat Lake,” he said. “It’s coming exactly at the right time because it’s cost-optimized and we’re seeing a lot of focus in that regard.”
Cheap laptops are the pressure point
Memory prices have climbed for months, and that pushed PC prices up across the board. Wildcat Lake gave laptop makers a way back down to lower starting prices. Machines like the new Dell XPS 13 and the HP Omnibook 5 14 now sit close to the MacBook Neo on price.
There is a catch. Many of those budget configurations ship with just 8GB of RAM. Windows 11 runs on 8GB, but the experience gets tight once a browser fills up with tabs.
Intel does not expect the memory market to rescue buyers next year. Zinsner was asked directly about memory supply and did not soften his answer. “Make no mistake, we are not optimistic about next year in terms of memory,” he said.
He added that the company expects no relief in 2027 and only maybe in 2028. Even that outlook is brighter than SK Hynix’s warning that the shortage could run through 2030.
AI demand is eating the supply chain
Tan framed the squeeze as a side effect of the AI buildout. He said the industry is working through “one of the most significant supply shortages” in its history, driven by “the unprecedented demand for super intelligence.” The scrutiny around Nvidia’s Hugging Face deal shows how much capital is chasing that same demand.
PC shipments have slowed as a result, and Tan acknowledged the downturn on the call. Zinsner still expects the market to recover. “We do think the PC is going to go through a renaissance despite this,” he said.
For shoppers, the practical read is simple. If you want a cheap Windows laptop this holiday season, buy early and check the memory. The full earnings call coverage is in The Verge’s report by Stevie Bonifield.
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