U.S. government sits on a $26.5B unrealized gain as Intel surges 22% on AI-driven earnings beat!

The U.S. government's Intel stake, acquired at $20.47 per share through a conversion of $8.9 billion in CHIPS Act grants and Secure Enclave funding into 433.3 million shares, is now valued at approximately $35.4 billion after Intel's stock jumped more than 22% in pre-market trading Friday — nearly tripling in under a year. The unrealized gain stands at roughly $26.5 billion, and the government also holds warrants to buy an additional 5% stake at $20 per share, options now deep in the money.

The rally was powered by a sharp earnings beat: Intel posted Q1 revenue of $13.6 billion, up 7% year over year and well above Wall Street's $12.4 billion estimate. Non-GAAP EPS came in at $0.29 against a consensus forecast of a $0.01 loss. The standout driver was Intel's Data Center and AI segment, which grew 22% to $5.1 billion on accelerating demand for Xeon processors tied to the broader AI…