Intel says it is selling every Wildcat Lake chip it can make. According to The Verge’s coverage of the company’s latest earnings call, CEO Lip-Bu Tan said demand for the processors, aimed at more affordable Windows laptops, is outstripping supply, and CFO David Zinsner described the line as sold out.
Wildcat Lake is Intel’s cost-optimized line for lower-priced laptops. Models cited in the coverage include the new Dell XPS 13 and the HP OmniBook 5 14, which arrive with friendlier starting prices but often with only 8 GB of memory — a configuration that, according to The Verge, Windows laptops can struggle to get by on.
Memory: the bigger bottleneck
The most sensitive point is not just the chip, but memory. Zinsner told investors: “Make no mistake, we are not optimistic about next year in terms of memory,” adding that Intel will have to see in 2028 whether conditions improve. SK Hynix, meanwhile, has predicted that the memory shortage could drag on through 2030, an even gloomier outlook than Intel’s.
Tan pointed to unprecedented demand for “super intelligence,” referring to artificial intelligence, and described the moment as one of the most significant supply shortages in the industry’s history. Zinsner, in a forward-looking statement rather than an established fact, said he believes “the PC is going to go through a renaissance.”
What it means for buyers
For buyers, the practical reading is straightforward: the shortage is hitting exactly the price range where every dollar counts. If affordable chip supply is at its limit and memory stays scarce and expensive, expect leaner configurations, upward pressure on prices, or both. It is worth watching the next earnings reports from memory makers and Intel’s ability to ramp up Wildcat Lake production before buying.
Sources: The Verge — Intel says it’s selling every affordable laptop chip it can make; The Verge on Threads, 29 October 2026
Image credit: HP, via HotHardware. The photo shows the HP OmniBook 5, one of the laptops with Intel Wildcat Lake processors.
Transparency: this article was produced with the help of artificial intelligence, by cross-checking public sources on the internet and public posts on social networks, and was reviewed against the original sources cited. Consult the original sources to confirm details before making purchase or investment decisions.
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