The state of Intel: What the company’s $5 billion deal with Nvidia could mean for the floundering chipmaker — Investments, capex, and the beating heart of x86

The news was as baffling as it was big: On September 18, Nvidia and Intel announced a collaboration to co-develop multiple generations of data center and PC products. As part of the deal, Nvidia said it would purchase $5 billion of stock in the troubled tech firm.

Intel was so dominant in the 1990s that it still holds a 75% share of the global consumer PC processor market. Being the biggest name in the space was a boon for Intel, which has been struggling for years. However, it also highlighted just how…