At the same time, the U.S. government has signaled interest in taking a direct stake. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described domestic semiconductor production as vital to national security, while Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick suggested that Intel should provide equity in return for CHIPS Act support.

Major U.S. equities indexes were mixed Tuesday as tech sector losses weighed on their performance. The S&P 500 ended the session 0.6% lower, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq dropped 1.5%. The Dow held onto a fractional gain.

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 gained a major backer Monday after SoftBank committed $2 billion for a roughly 2% stake, according to CNBC. SoftBank agreed to buy Intel shares at $23 each, slightly below Monday’s $23.66 closing price.