Intel quietly brought back its Core 5 120 processor, a chip from 2022, with only a 100 MHz speed boost and nearly double the price. PC Gamer said, “Intel’s upcoming Core 5 120 and Core 5 120F CPUs are basically the same as the older Alder Lake chips” https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/processors/intels-new-core-ultra-120-will-be-doa-if-stores-sell-them-at-anything-like-these-prices/.
Intel’s leaders keep making the same mistakes and missing chances to improve. The Verge reported, “Intel lost $1.4 billion in the last quarter of 2023, its biggest loss ever, caused by supply chain problems and tough competition from AMD” https://www.theverge.com/2024/12/3/24311594/intel-under-pat-gelsinger. The company is suffering because of bad decisions made over many years.
The new CEO Lip-Bu Tan faces a big management team that is slow to change. Reuters said, “Three top Intel executives recently retired during company changes and ongoing problems with making chips” https://www.reuters.com/technology/intel-senior-executives-retire-amid-restructuring-2025-07-31/. This shows Intel has deeper problems beyond just delays.
The layoffs are not just because of the market but because of poor leadership and bad plans. Tom’s Hardware reported, “Intel cut thousands of jobs in the U.S., including 4,000 overall and 2,392 in Oregon alone” https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/cpus/intel-axes-thousands-of-technicians-and-engineers-in-sweeping-u-s-layoffs-cutting-4-000-positions-in-the-u-s-2-392-in-oregon. You can’t build a future by selling old tech with a new label.
Intel is not moving forward. The chip world needs big improvements, not small changes to old products. The next “new” chip might just be the same 2019 model with some flashy lights added.
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