Intel, AMD Warn China Customers Of Months-Long CPU Delays

Intel Corp. (NASDAQ:INTC) and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD) are facing tightening server CPU supplies in China as booming AI infrastructure demand strains the global chip pipeline. The companies have warned Chinese customers about tightening supplies of server CPUs. Intel cautioned that delivery lead times could stretch up to six months. The shortages have pushed prices for Intel's server products in China up more than 10% in many cases, Reuters reported on Friday, citing sources familiar with the matter. AI Boom Drives Crunch In Traditional Chips Booming investment in AI infrastructure has fueled intense demand not only for AI chips but also for traditional computing components, with memory prices surging and the CPU crisis aggravating in recent weeks. In China, which contributes more than 20% of Intel's revenue, fourth- and fifth-generation Xeon processors have become especially scarce, prompting Intel to ration shipments and leaving a backlog of unfilled orders. AMD has also alerted customers to supply constraints, with some delivery lead times extending to eight to ten weeks, sources said. Intel expects supply conditions to improve starting in the second quarter of 2026. AMD said it has expanded supply capabilities through deals with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (NYSE:TSM). Analyst Sees AI Server Demand Supporting Both Chipmakers Recently, KeyBanc analyst John Vinh raised his outlook on AMD and Intel, citing strong AI-driven server demand as a key tailwind. The analyst noted that December cloud data showed a slight pullback in traditional server instances as providers retired older systems, but overall compute demand still grew year-over-year. Vinh said near-term cloud momentum favored Intel, highlighting a surge in Granite Rapids deployments on Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) Amazon Web Services, while other new Intel server chips also posted steady gains. He viewed the tracker's implications as positive for Intel and more neutral for AMD, with AMD holding flat month over month but still showing solid growth from Turin and Genoa rollouts across major cloud providers. AMD stock gained 74% in the last 12 months. Intel gained 148% during the period. Price Action: Advanced Micro Devices shares were up 3.74% at $199.70 during premarket trading on Friday, according to Benzinga Pro data. Intel shares were up 2.32% at $49.36. Photo by Tada Images via Shutterstock