Intel is reportedly planning another 10% price increase on PC CPUs in October, according to DIGITIMES. This would be the latest in a string of price hikes made in stages over the past year. The report does not specify whether the increase will affect desktop, mobile, or both CPU segments.

Industry sources say the goal is to improve gross margin rather than grow market share, as global PC shipments are expected to dip from 260 million to about 250 million units in 2027 despite rising prices. If Intel can push CPU shipments back toward 200 million units, DIGITIMES estimates its market share could recover to roughly 78%. Intel is also considering ending its low-margin Small Core product line, which could allow Qualcomm and MediaTek to expand into the industrial PC and IoT chip markets Intel currently leads.

On staffing, sources suggest another 5% to 10% workforce reduction may follow July’s layoffs in the Data Center and AI group, with headcount currently around 75,000. Intel plans to hire alongside any cuts, maintaining its current size as reasonable. On the server side, Intel is prioritizing its own fabs for higher-margin server CPUs, potentially squeezing PC CPU capacity and increasing reliance on TSMC, which raises scrutiny over 18A yield and 14A development progress.