The Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2026) opened with Nvidia and Intel unveiling major chip updates that reinforced their rivalry across data centers, autonomous vehicles, laptops, and gaming devices. Nvidia, which already dominates Artificial Intelligence data center workloads, used the show to highlight its next-generation Rubin architecture as the successor to Blackwell, while Intel focused on regaining ground in personal computing and portable gaming after a period of setbacks. The announcements underscored how competition in Artificial Intelligence chips and broader semiconductors is intensifying as both companies seek new growth drivers and defend key market positions.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang confirmed that production of Nvidia’s next-generation Rubin architecture chips, successors to the Blackwell series, is ramping up at full speed. He also introduced the open-source Alpamayo Artificial Intelligence model series, which is designed to help vehicles process data with human-like reasoning for autonomous driving and to directly challenge Tesla’s leadership in robotaxis through Full Self-Driving technology. Nvidia plans to test its own robotaxis in 2027, equipped with Level 4 driving capabilities that enable fully driverless autonomy with an undisclosed partner, signaling a deeper push into automotive platforms that blend high-performance chips with advanced software stacks.
Intel centered its CES presence on the much-anticipated Panther Lake Artificial Intelligence chip for laptops, branded as “Intel Core Ultra Series 3,” which uses a new transistor design and an improved power delivery method built on the company’s 18A manufacturing process. The Intel Core Ultra Series 3 chips are expected to deliver 60% better performance than the prior-generation Lunar Lake Series 2, positioning the lineup as a performance and efficiency leap for notebooks. Intel also plans to launch an entire handheld gaming platform based on Panther Lake, promising 77% faster gaming performance and directly pressuring Advanced Micro Devices in the portable gaming segment, where AMD has been especially strong with custom and integrated graphics solutions.
On the investment side, Melius Research analyst Ben Reitzes updated his views on both chipmakers ahead of the CES 2026 news cycle, framing the product roadmaps within a multi-year financial narrative. He lifted his NVDA price target from $320 to $350, implying 86% upside potential from current levels, and tied his bullish stance to Nvidia’s expected re-acceleration into fiscal year 2027 as the company has touted $500 billion in orders for its advanced Blackwell and Rubin architecture. Meanwhile, he upgraded INTC stock from a Hold rating to a Buy and kept his $50 price target, implying 27% upside potential, while dismissing Nvidia complaints about Intel’s 18A process as “old news” and suggesting Nvidia and Apple could switch to Intel’s 14A node by 2028/2029, which he believes could support Intel’s valuation through 2026.
TipRanks’ Stock Comparison Tool shows that Wall Street currently leans more heavily toward Nvidia despite acknowledging Intel’s potential upside from manufacturing and new products. Currently, Wall Street has a Strong Buy consensus on NVDA, offering a 40% upside potential over the next twelve months, reflecting sustained optimism around Nvidia’s Artificial Intelligence and data center trajectory alongside its emerging automotive play. By contrast, analysts prefer to remain sidelined on Intel stock and believe that the stock is almost fully valued at current levels, indicating that investors want to see more consistent execution across Intel’s process technology roadmap and its push into laptops and handheld gaming before re-rating the shares further.
