Intel Corp. (NASDAQ:INTC) is set to close out April with its best monthly rally ever, a stunning reversal for a company that spent years being written off as an AI laggard.

Intel's Comeback

Intel stock closed the month of March at $44.13 and traded at $94.75 on Wednesday.

Shares of the semiconductor giant have surged about 115% this month, putting Intel on pace for a record-breaking April and marking one of the most dramatic turnarounds in big-cap tech.

The rally has also handed President Donald Trump a political and financial victory after the U.S. government took a stake in Intel last summer.

Trump said on Wednesday that federal stock holdings in Intel generated over $30 billion over the last several months, after he authorized the U.S. government's investment in the struggling semiconductor chip manufacturing company.

"I'm very proud of that Company in that I am responsible for making the United States of America over 30 Billion Dollars in the last 90 days on that stock alone," the president wrote in a Truth Social post.

The move caps a remarkable shift in sentiment around Intel. 

Once viewed as a legacy chipmaker that had fallen behind Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA), Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD) and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (NYSE:TSM), Intel has been revalued by investors betting on a stronger role in U.S. chip manufacturing and AI infrastructure.

Wall Street's tone has also turned more constructive as investors point to improving execution under CEO Lip-Bu Tan, stronger data center CPU demand and renewed optimism around Intel's foundry strategy.

Still, the rally comes after years of skepticism. 

Intel struggled with manufacturing delays, lost ground in key markets and watched Nvidia become the defining winner of the AI boom. That history makes April's surge all the more striking.

The stock's explosive move suggests investors are no longer treating Intel as a turnaround story on life support. Instead, they are beginning to price in the possibility that Intel can become a major beneficiary of reshoring, government support and the broader AI spending cycle.

The Takeaway

Risks remain. Intel's foundry business still needs to prove it can compete at scale, and the company faces intense pressure from better-positioned rivals. 

But for now, the market is rewarding the comeback.

After years of doubt, Intel's 115% April boom is shattering records and rewriting the narrative around one of America's most important chipmakers.

INTC Price Action: Intel stock was down 1.66% at $93.13 at the time of publication Thursday, according to Benzinga Pro data.

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