Let’s talk about the biggest rivalry in semiconductors: NVIDIA (NVDA), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), and Intel (INTC). Each one recently reported earnings as part of a blockbuster earnings season, and with NVIDIA’s fresh numbers just rolling in, there’s no better time to assess who’s really calling the shots in the semiconductor arena and, therefore, which one presents as the best addition to investor portfolios. As AI and data center demand explodes, these three giants are racing forth to deliver the fastest, most efficient hardware on the planet. The stakes couldn’t be any higher.
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Performance comparison between Nvidia (NVDA), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), and Intel (INTC) stocks
Performance comparison between Nvidia (NVDA), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), and Intel (INTC) stocks
Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) | Relentless AI Powerhouse Always Delivers
Let’s start with the current headline grabber: NVIDIA. If you’ve been mildly curious about AI, you’ve probably noticed this company mentioned in news source. The reason? They just reported jaw-dropping Q4 revenues of $39.3 billion (almost double last year’s tally) and EPS of $0.89. Most momentum is being generated by the insatiable demand for GPUs from big names like OpenAI and Meta, all scrambling to expand their AI capabilities.
Currently, Nvidia’s market bazooka is its Blackwell architecture line of products, adding $11 billion to Q4 revenue alone. These AI chips are in such strong demand that the chip giant cannot keep pace with orders. Could rapid expansion strain margins? Possibly. The company has acknowledged cost pressures in scaling production. Even so, the overarching AI trend shows few signs of slowing, which puts NVIDIA in a strong position to continue its perma-rally mode status.
All in all, Q4 was another sparkler of a quarter that, at the very least, justifies NVIDIA’s current stock price. Therefore, for investors craving a direct play on AI, NVIDIA’s near-monopoly on high-performance GPUs and somewhat reasonable ~30x multiple on next year’s expected EPS of $4.43 should keep powering the stock’s bullish case.
What is the Price Target for Nvidia in 2025?
NVIDIA stock commands strong bullish sentiment, with 31 Buy ratings and only two Holds in the past three months. Not a single analyst rates NVDA as a Sell. Consensus estimates point to an average price target of $179.77 per share, suggesting a 41% upside potential from current levels. Along with this week’s post-earnings results momentum, NVDA stock may be gearing up for a significantly higher move.
Nvidia (NVDA) stock forecast for the next 12 months including a high, average, and low price target
Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ:AMD) | The Underdog with a Serious Bite
While NVIDIA hogs the spotlight, AMD has quietly stacked up its own wins. Under CEO Lisa Su, AMD’s Q4 revenue hit $7.7 billion, marking a healthy 24% jump over last year. Even more impressive, their Data Center revenue soared by 69%, suggesting that AMD is no longer a second-string option.
A big part of this success story is AMD’s EPYC CPU lineup, which now claims more than 50% market share at top cloud providers like AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. Remember the days when AMD was the budget alternative to Intel? That’s ancient history. Today, EPYC chips appear in serious enterprise workloads where performance per dollar matters.
AMD’s push into AI accelerators also deserves attention. AMD’s MI300 series GPUs have begun cropping up in large-scale deployments, with the next-gen MI350 set to reach customers later this year. Yes, NVIDIA still dominates the AI accelerator space, primarily due to its entrenched CUDA ecosystem. However, AMD’s ROCm software platform keeps improving, and if it keeps winning over developers and data center managers, AMD could expand its foothold in AI-focused infrastructure.
What is the Price Target for AMD Stock?
Wall Street analysts have a Moderate Buy consensus on AMD stock, with 25 Buys, 11 Holds, and just one Sell in the past three months. The stock’s average price target of $147.88 suggests a potential 44% upside this year, signaling strong growth expectations ahead, much like NVDA.
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) stock forecast for the next 12 months including a high, average, and low price target
Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) | Legacy Player Pushed to the Sidelines
And then there’s Intel — the former one-time champ of CPUs that now finds itself walking in unfamiliar terrain, as its share price shows. Its latest quarterly sales were $14.3 billion, up 7%. Then again, its full-year sales were soft at $53.1 billion, down 2%. Such performance metrics aren’t catastrophic, but they reflect an urgent need for a strategic pivot in an industry evolving faster than ever as it leaves Intel behind.
Leadership at Intel has seen multiple reshuffles, and the company’s new interim co-CEOs, Michelle Johnston Holthaus and Dave Zinsner, are trying to streamline operations. Are two sets of hands better than one? Not quite. Intel’s push to become a major foundry competitor to TSMC and Samsung is still underway, but progress hasn’t been smooth. On the product front, Intel remains dominant in many existing data center CPU deployments, yet it appears to lag in AI-focused hardware. Projects like Falcon Shores have been scaled back, and the company’s AI data center GPUs seem overshadowed by NVIDIA’s and AMD’s newer offerings.
One notable angle Intel has been vocal about is security. By pointing out potential vulnerabilities in rivals’ products, it aims to position itself as the “safest” choice for enterprise clients. Could that angle work? Possibly for risk-averse buyers, but it may not be enough to counter the surging demand for high-performance computing in AI.
Is Intel a Buy, Hold, or Sell?
Wall Street remains cautious on Intel, assigning it a Hold consensus rating with just one Buy, 27 Holds, and five Sells in the past three months. The stock’s average price target of $22.69 indicates a potential 5% downside over the coming twelve months, reflecting the apprehension about the stock’s near-term prospects.
Intel (INTC) stock forecast for the next 12 months including a high, average, and low price target
Ultimately, two of the tech giants being assessed here represent very reasonable investment options — namely NVDA and AMD. NVIDIA dominates the AI-driven market and holds a near-monopoly on GPUs. Its sales are off the charts, and expectations are high. Meanwhile, AMD continues expanding in both CPUs and GPUs, offering strong performance for its price. A genuine peer to NVDA from both end-user, enterprise, and investor perspectives.
And finally, there is the third wheel in this matchup: Intel. A legacy player with plenty of former glories and existing challenges in equal measure. The company remains a juggernaut, nevertheless, and is implementing a raft of policy initiatives and market innovations to regain its former stronghold. I’m bullish on NVDA and AMD for slightly different reasons, but Intel is a bit like an oil tanker: huge and able to carry valuable assets at great distances, yet remains agility-challenged and has the turning circle of a small sea. For any Intel bulls out there, ship ahoy.
