Intel's credit rating just got nerfed, as AMD gaming CPU competition bites

Intel has just been dealt another financial blow, as the gaming CPU maker’s credit rating with Fitch Ratings has just been downgraded. The US credit agency, which is one of three rating organizations recognized by the US Securities and Exchange Commission, says that Intel’s “rating outlook is negative,” with weak credit metrics, an unclear AI strategy, challenging demand, and competition from AMD cited as factors.

After downgrading Intel from a BBB+ rating to BBB, Fitch pointed out that “Intel faces stronger competition from Advanced Micro Devices” in PCs, while also pointing out that market share had been eroded in “high-end desktop processors to Advanced Micro Devices” - a market where Intel has taken a battering lately. Our best gaming CPU buying guide is currently dominated by AMD chips, partly because, as we found in our Intel Core Ultra 7 265K review, the latest Intel CPUs are actually slower than the company's previous chips in games.