U.S. chipmaker Intel is returning to the graphics processor market: it has unveiled its new Intel GPU D-Series lineup. These GPUs are designed for inference—running pre-trained AI models. The new chips are expected to intensify the company’s competition with Nvidia, AMD, and Qualcomm, according to Yahoo Finance.

Details

Unlike server rack chips such as the Nvidia Blackwell, Intel D-Series graphics processors will be available as PCIe cards. They resemble gaming graphics cards for desktop PCs. Intel announced that it is collaborating with a number of hardware manufacturers, contract developers, and system builders, as well as non-cloud companies and other partners, to bring D-Series-based systems to market. Among them are ASUS, HPE, Dell, and Supermicro.

Prior to the D-Series, Intel’s last full-fledged server GPU for AI and high-performance computing was the Data Center GPU Max series, released in 2023. Intel had planned to replace it with two projects—Rialto Bridge and Falcon Shores—but neither ultimately went into production. At the same time, the company was developing the Gaudi specialized AI accelerators, unveiled in 2024: they were intended to compete with the Nvidia H100.

Intel shares fell 3.2% at the close of trading on October 12. However, since the beginning of 2026, the stock has risen 183%. The company’s central processing units (CPUs) have been the main driver of investor interest. In the early years of the generative AI boom, they were overshadowed, but with the proliferation of AI agents, their importance to AI service providers and data center operators is on the rise again, notes Yahoo Finance.

Context

Competition in the data center processor market is intensifying: Intel’s longtime rival, AMD, is rapidly increasing its market share in this segment. Qualcomm has also joined the fray: the company has launched its own Arm-based processors, AI accelerators, memory solutions, and networking infrastructure in an effort to expand its business beyond smartphones and reduce its dependence on that market. In addition, major cloud service providers are developing their own AI accelerators for data centers: Google, Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft all have such solutions, as do Alibaba and Baidu in China.