Intel's INTC) stock dipped after their CFO David Zinsner spoke at the J.P. Morgan tech conference. He admitted that, right now, outside interest in Intel's new foundry services is pretty thin. Even as they roll out the next-gen 18A node, most of the early volume is booked for Intel's own chipsthink the upcoming Panther Lakelanding before year-end.

Warning! GuruFocus has detected 7 Warning Signs with INTC.

Zinsner was quick to note that hitting break-even on the foundry side doesn't demand huge third-party ordersmid-single-digit billions in revenue should do itbut convincing external clients to trust Intel on IP protection and supply-chain security will take time.Intel Stock Falls as Foundry Customers Hold Back

Investors reacted by driving INTC down to $21.26 on May 14, off about 1.9%, while AMD and TSMC climbed 5.8% and 0.7%, respectively. Price targets are all over the mapfrom $14 to $28.30with an average of $21.30 and a GuruFocus value of $23.50.

On the leadership front, Zinsner had praise for new CEO Lip-Bu Tan's push to flatten the organization and get engineers back on the lab floor, closer to customer feedback. He hinted that this shift could turbo-charge Intel's AI roadmap by speeding up product cycles and tightening client collaboration.

Why it matters: If Intel can't drum up external foundry business soon, it risks lagging behind AMD and TSMC just as demand for advanced nodes heats up. Investors will be watching for that first big outside deal and any signs of momentum in Q2's guidance.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.

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