B (3:22)

I mean, asit, let's talk about at least part of the technical stuff that President Trump is talking about here. Intel in the United States is planning to bring online plants that will provide chip making in two distinct but very advanced processes. One called 18A, one called 14A. And the President did point out correctly that these are sub 2 nanometer. 18A is 1.8 nanometer, 14A is 1.4 nanometer. This is really small. And the smaller the chip, the more power efficient it can be. Sometimes you can put more of these chips together on a wafer so you can create a more powerful chip. The implication here is, is that these processes are going to be highly useful for things like, wait for it I asset. So how big a deal is this, do you think, making essentially highly advanced chips here on U.S. u.S. Shores? And how, how significant, how much credit should we give intel for this, knowing that, you know, it's not done yet, but they are working on it?

C (4:37)

Well, let's give intel the credit up front for working on it. The US Seeded its most advanced chip making capabilities to Taiwan years ago. Intel itself was the manufacturer at scale of our best technology when it came to chips and really just got off track in so many different ways. So this represents a comeback for Intel. If you ever hear that Intel's a comeback story, this is part and parcel of that. And, and so where we get into these distinctions between 18A and 14A, it's really, to put it simply, you can imagine the same process but getting more refined in stage two. So 18A is distinguished by really two things. So these nanosheet transistors and then moving the power from sort of the front of the wafer to the back of the wafer. Okay, so nothing in 18A should be taken as that number represents some kind of smaller aperture or, or whatnot. As you said, it's really already a 2 nanometer and below process. So very, very intricate. Designs on a chip. When you move from 18A to 14A, what's going to happen is these machines that ASML makes, its most valuable machines. These are lithography machines that companies like intel buy to write onto silicon substrates. They're going to use their latest and greatest machines, which are high NA EUV machines. And this is sort of interesting because ASML has been waiting for its customers to adopt their latest technology. Funnily enough, it could be intel that's at the forefront of that. But to get to 14A and the reason why I'm going to this level of detail, it takes a lot. So it's going to have to prove out this first process. And of course, they now have a processor that's recently been released that runs on 18A and going to take a while, Tim, to get to 14A for that process to be widely adopted by major players. And this is why Rick says, look, the stock price is ahead of where the tech is just now. I'll point out Nvidia, great story here. They invested in intel also, right? $5 billion. And they've been testing out 18A. They backed off, we heard in December from going any further in their test. Now, we shouldn't confuse this with Nvidia getting really down on Intel's process. Nvidia in the first place is using this for its CPUs and to get to where it needs to for 18A to be part of its GPU process flow, that development flow, it's going to take a lot. Intel's going to have to prove a lot. But they've got the money from Nvidia. Nvidia is a great partner for all the other stuff. So there's a lot for this story to work out in the future. I myself, you know, full disclosure here, more than 60 bucks. I purchased some intel early last year and have enjoyed the gains. But I realize as a rational shareholder, it's still got to come up with a major foundry partner. So more big players need to step forward and say, we're going to use this technology before we can feel that Intel's out of the woods.

B (7:48)

Yeah, I mean, it doesn't, we don't have a lot of intel announcements about customers that are using the intel foundry for manufacturing at scale, their most advanced chips. We know that Amazon Web Services is doing this. We know that Nvidia at least is trialing some things. What intel has said is that they expect those most advanced chips, those 14A designs you were talking about. Asset will start to. There will start to be decisions about manufacturing at that level in the first half of 2027. Say that three times fast but essentially, you know, maybe call it spring or late spring of 2027. So we're not there yet, but it's early enough. Having said that, I mean Rick, I'll start with you here. Intel Foundry for really the past few years has been a net zero in terms of contributor to Intel. So now that there's a chance that it's not going to be a net zero, are you buying, sell or hold intel on the promise that Intel Foundry with doing business primarily here in the United States is going to be a material contributor to intel buy, sell or hold based on the hope for Intel Foundry here, Rick?

C (9:09)

Yeah.

A (9:09)

So I'm excited that the intel inside company that's sort of been the intel outside looking in for so many years is back to, you know, having a nice primary seat, potentially a leader of this new revolution, the 18A. Not only just what we talk about gaming, but also AI, but also gaming and more power efficiency, these things that are matter and so they're making a splash in here. It'll take a while to catch up with the Nvidia's and the AMD's of the world in many ways but I'm excited about all that. But again I'm happy with my $60 that I have my share indirectly through being. I'm not so excited to jump on the stock now because it has run up so much and even looking out to next year, it's not like investors are expecting it will be a return to growth and a return to profitability, but it's just a very small step, not moving the needle yet. This is a long term play and I think as an investor it's exciting. Intel is definitely a better company now than it was a year ago. Definitely the 10 months that Lipp Bhutan has been CEO has been an amazing run for any incoming CEO and outsider CEO at that. But I do think I want to wait and I think I can afford to wait because I think the stock will be volatile in the next year or two and I think I'll be able to pick a better entry point and hopefully at a point where some of these products, all this demand and the fact that they're saying, you know, demand is exceeding supply, something that we haven't seen in intel in a long time. These things that are being said and happening are exciting. I want to see it, you know, bear out to actual, you know, reality.

B (10:32)

Yeah. So Asit, Rick is pretty happy with his holdings as a US Citizen, you are a shareholder. So are you buy, sell or hold those intel shares like you maybe want to buy a little bit more on the promise of Intel Foundry?

C (10:49)

Yeah, Tim, I am a dollar cost average in buy on intel and I think Rick put it so wonderfully, that doesn't have to be dollar cost averaging it every month this year. You could just sort of wait. This business is going to be volatile and the stock is going to be volatile to follow. But I have to say, let's give a lot of credit to Lipoutin. I mean, this is a guy we knew about, Tim, right? He was the CEO of a sort of esoteric company in the semiconductor industry. On the design side, Cadence Design Systems. He has a master's degree in nuclear engineering from mit and he was on the board of intel and just was uncomfortable with all the middle management and inefficient use of resources when he was a board member. I think he's still on the board but looking not as the operator of the business. And not only has he really set the future into motion and he's also proven to be good on the rubbing elbows side, the handshake side. I mean, he's been able to roll with the punches with the Trump administration. They got off to a very rocky start. He's sealed an investment from we the taxpayers and from Nvidia. So I think he's showing that he brings a lot of tools to a very difficult turnaround. I will say that Nvidia has many chances to fail. The competition doesn't slow down. So when we hear about them being able to get 14Amoving, let's say in 2027, that's so many months more they're losing to competition competitors like AMD and those who are actual fabs like Taiwan Semiconductor. But on the other hand, if this does play out, if this story plays out the way it could, you have here on American soil, a really specialized chip manufacturer that we'll see a ton of demand in the future. Because AI ain't going anywhere, Tim. We know that. Right. So if they can produce the chips here, that's a great revenue stream for intel in the coming years, a chance for it to be great again. So I caution anyone about getting too excited on this story in the very near term. I share Rick's caution on that, but I would say if you have a little bit of risk tolerance and you study this business averaging in, especially in those volatile periods where the stock gets, you know, taken to the woodshed, that's not a bad strategy.

B (13:12)

All Right. So like it.

A (13:15)

Hold it.

B (13:16)

Maybe a cautious buyer here. And Le Bhutan got smarts real good is what we're, what we're hearing here. Up next, let's do some mindset Monday. You're listening to Motley Fool Money.

D (13:29)

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B (14:39)

We're back with another mindset Monday. This time we're going to look at breaks, specifically the benefit of a break from the market and from investing. Have you taken one recently? And if you haven't, why not? Breaks are on my mind, guys, because I just took one holiday break where I did a lot of things other than work or think about the market. I did buy and sell some stock though. But that was in the context of plans made a while back. I think being able to disconnect from the market and daily business news proved pretty restorative for me, I have to say. So let's talk about this, how you do it. Asset. And Rick, I'd be very curious and what's it like when you take a break from the market? And Rick, I'll start with you here. Do you ever do this? Are you conscious about taking a break from, from the market and from investing?

A (15:26)

I am not. To me, it's the kind of thing where it's the market isn't just work. It's also fun and it's also life. So it's a lot of factors that it's not something if you're working like you know, 9 to 5, job that you don't like and you're like, well great, I get to take a vacation, so take a break that way. But there are times, of course, where I'm traveling with the family and if I traveling far, like we were in Europe like two years ago for about a week to there was no point for me to check in because I was at different market hours and everything was completely different and it felt great. So I love that. But I also was happy to get back into it. But yes, I do think it's important to take this break, a break every once in a while, especially if you are kind of like watching the stock market every passing tick on your stocks. That is not healthy for anyone as we're all long term investors. So in that regard. But again, I mean, I do cheat even when I tell myself I still have a little side look. Let me see CNBC playing at this hotel bar. It's probably not going to be on, but it is the kind of thing where, yeah, I can't really get away from it. But when I do, I'm thankful that I do it. I think I become a better investor by taking a break. Just like you would with anything. If you can't crack a Rubik's Cube or any kind of puzzle or the New York Times crossword, take a break and look at it with fresh eyes a little while later and you're going to have a different approach that'll probably make you a better investor and a better person.

B (16:56)

I'm going to have some things to say about that. But asit I want to hear from you first here. When's the last time you took a market break?

C (17:02)

Yesterday.

B (17:03)

Now.

C (17:03)

Yes, we're taping on a Monday. There was no market there in front of me on Sunday. But I did take a complete mental break, as I tend to do. I have a few passions outside of investing. Tim. I love to read, I like to write some fiction, I love to learn languages. But I'm not going to lie either. I mean the three of us have chosen this as our profession. So we are pretty wired in all the time. And I think if I don't take that conscious break to chase my passions, it could easily be something that I don't turn off. And so I wanted to just go over three quick ways that I take a break. One is to take a walk out in nature. I try to do that every day. The second is what Rick mentioned, which is travel. Anytime you pull yourself out of your normal rhythms, your daily rhythms and go somewhere else, it's a great way for your brain to disengage because your brain is disoriented. It's disoriented spatially. It's got a lot of new stimuli coming in, so that makes it easier to disconnect. And then the third is to get absorbed in something. I mean, for me, that's reading your brain is trying to problem solve. When you think about the markets and whether you're professionals like the three of us or someone who is more nine to five and does investing in his or her spare time, when your mind is there, it's really trying to figure out, okay, how do I achieve what I want to achieve? Why am I not having the success that I want? Or wow, this is great. I'm really exceeding my expectations. But it always sees investing as this problem, something to optimize. And the way that you actually can really help yourself solve that problem is to immerse yourself in other problems. So that could be the Rubik's Cube Rick cites. It could just be letting yourself go into the flow of something else. Music, art, literature, seeing friends, going out for a beer. All of those things are really great in helping you disconnect from this thing that's tugging at you. And I think it leads to better results. Or at least it has in my case.

B (19:00)

Nice. I like it. Well, a quick final thought on this. The greatest benefit, I think taking a break from the market is perspective. Removing yourself from the daily grind of news, stock movements and more can help you to reframe your portfolio as a loose collection of businesses with plans and purposes you may or may not believe in and, and like following. And that that is something is. That's very valuable. It'll allow you to actually build a portfolio. Understanding what you like and. And where you still have questions is also a great way to not only steward your holdings, but also your Motley fool membership. Since we're here to help you answer as many investing and mindset questions as we can. If you have a mindset question you'd like to get answered, please write to me at T B E Y E r s@fool.com tbuyersool.com and you can be featured in a future show. Up next we'll preview tomorrow. You're listening to Motley Fool.

E (19:59)

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B (20:27)

Spotify all right, for tomorrow's show, Emily Flippen will have Jason hall and Dan Kaplinger. So you want to be sure and tune in for some more coverage of, of the markets and just the, the amount of, and variety of, of goofy things that are happening in the world. There's, there's a, there is a lot to get to, and Emily will be here to give it all to you. So that's tomorrow, Emily Flippin with Jason hall and Dan Kaplinger. As always, people on the program may have interest in the stocks they talk about. Motley fool may have formal recommendations for or against. So don't buy or sell stocks, basically solely on what you hear. All personal finance content follows Motley fool editorial standards and is not approved by advertisers. Advertisements are sponsored content and provided for informational purposes only. To see our full advertising disclosures, please check out our show notes. Thanks to Rick Benares and Asa Sharma, our engineer. As always, Stan Boyd. Our producer is Anna Chakabalu. I am your host, Tim Byers. Thanks so much for tuning in. We'll see you next time. Fools Mulan.