Free cash flow
Intel Free cash flow decreased by 2199.2% to -$2.54B in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 41.9%, from -$4.37B to -$2.54B. This decline may warrant attention — for this metric, higher values are generally preferred.
Analysis
How to read this metric
An increase suggests strong operational efficiency and the ability to self-fund future innovation or return capital to shareholders, while a decrease may indicate heavy capital expenditure cycles or declining operational profitability.
Detailed definition
Free cash flow represents the cash generated by a company after accounting for cash outflows to support operations and m...
Peer comparison
High-growth semiconductor and AI infrastructure peers typically prioritize reinvestment, so free cash flow margins are often compared against R&D intensity and capital expenditure requirements of industry rivals.
cf_free_cash_flowHistorical Data
| Q2 '21 | Q3 '21 | Q1 '22 | Q2 '22 | Q3 '22 | Q1 '23 | Q2 '23 | Q3 '23 | Q4 '23 | Q1 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q3 '24 | Q4 '24 | Q1 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q3 '25 | Q1 '26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $5.14B | $5.90B | $1.29B | -$6.43B | -$6.27B | -$9.20B | -$3.08B | $71.00M | -$2.07B | -$7.19B | -$3.39B | -$2.40B | -$2.67B | -$4.37B | -$1.50B | $121.00M | -$2.54B |
| QoQ Change | — | +14.6% | -78.2% | -599.8% | +2.5% | -46.7% | +66.5% | +102.3% | <-999% | -247.2% | +52.9% | +29.1% | -11.0% | -63.7% | +65.7% | +108.1% | <-999% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | -225.1% | -206.3% | -814.7% | +52.1% | +101.1% | — | +21.8% | -10.1% | <-999% | -28.8% | +39.2% | +55.8% | +105.0% | +41.9% |
Free cash flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Intel's free cash flow?
- Intel (INTC) reported free cash flow of -$2.54B in Q1 2026.
- How has Intel's free cash flow changed year-over-year?
- Intel's free cash flow increased by 41.9% year-over-year, from -$4.37B to -$2.54B.
- What does free cash flow mean?
- The cash a company has left over after paying for its operating expenses and capital investments.