SoftBank Group Corp. agreed to buy $2 billion of Intel Corp. stock, a surprise deal to shore up a struggling US name while boosting its own chip ambitions.

Shining a Spotlight on Intel Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) has emerged from the shadows of its semiconductor rivals, capturing the attention of investors and policymakers alike. After years of struggling to keep pace with competitors like Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (NYSE:TSM),

Intel is getting a $2 billion investment in common stock from SoftBank, which is betting big on the AI revolution.

The U.S. chipmaker has struggled to keep pace in the AI market alongside competitors like Nvidia. Softbank has agreed to buy Intel common stock at $23 per share.

If you haven't been investing in companies connected to the artificial intelligence trend, it's not too late to start.

The industry looks very different from when Intel was the clear leader. Nvidia and AMD dominate AI and data centers, while TSMC is the dominant foundry. Intel is now cast as the underdog.

Yet Intel still matters, as Mr Trump’s interest shows. The most advanced chips, vital for smartphones and AI, are now made almost entirely by TSMC. America’s tech giants depend on it. Such reliance on a single supplier—particularly one based in Taiwan—is risky.

An engineer formerly employed by Intel has escaped serious criminal prosecution with only a slap on the wrist for allegedly stealing trade secrets

By extending the pool of RAM available to integrated graphics, Intel is positioning its systems to handle larger models that would otherwise be constrained. This may allow users to offload more of the model onto VRAM, reducing bottlenecks and improving stability when running AI tools.