IBM vs Intel: Revenue, Profit and Business Model
IBM reported $67.5B of revenue in FY2025 and $10.6B of net income. Intel reported $52.9B of revenue in FY2025 and a net loss of $267M.
Latest financial snapshot
Financial summary
IBM
IBM's reported revenue fell from about $80 billion in 2016-2018 to $57.4 billion in 2021, mostly because the Kyndryl spin-off and earlier divestitures removed low-margin services. Since then the slimmer company has grown each year: $60.5 billion in 2022, $61.9 billion in 2023, $62.8 billion in 2024, and $67.5 billion in 2025 (up 7.6%). FY2025 net income from continuing operations was $10.6 billion and free cash flow was $14.7 billion. In Q2 2026, revenue rose 1% to $17.16 billion: software grew 5% to $7.76 billion, consulting was flat at $5.33 billion, and infrastructure fell 7% to $3.84 billion as IBM Z sales lapped the z17 launch. Some large software deals slipped out of the quarter, so IBM cut its 2026 constant-currency revenue growth forecast to 4-5% while keeping its target of about $1 billion more free cash flow than in 2025.
Intel
Intel's revenue peaked at $79.0 billion in 2021 and fell to $53.1 billion in 2024, when it posted an $18.8 billion net loss driven by restructuring and impairments. FY2025 revenue was $52.9 billion with a much smaller $267 million net loss, and the year ended with $37.4 billion in cash and short-term investments. Q2 2026 revenue rose 25% to $16.1 billion with a 41.8% non-GAAP gross margin and $0.42 non-GAAP EPS. GAAP net loss for the quarter was $11.0 billion, almost all from a $12.5 billion non-cash mark-to-market charge on shares escrowed for the U.S. Department of Commerce. Intel guided Q3 2026 revenue to $15.8-16.8 billion.
Revenue and profit by year
IBM
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $67.5B | $10.6B | 15.7% | +7.6% | Source |
| FY2024 | $62.8B | $6B | 9.6% | +1.4% | Source |
| FY2023 | $61.9B | $7.5B | 12.1% | +2.2% | Source |
| FY2022 | $60.5B | $1.6B | 2.7% | +5.5% | Source |
| FY2021 | $57.4B | $5.7B | 10.0% | +3.9% | Source |
| FY2020 | $55.2B | $5.6B | 10.1% | -4.4% | Source |
| FY2019 | $57.7B | $9.4B | 16.3% | -27.5% | Source |
| FY2018 | $79.6B | $8.7B | 11.0% | +0.6% | Source |
| FY2017 | $79.1B | $5.8B | 7.3% | -1.0% | Source |
| FY2016 | $79.9B | $11.9B | 14.9% | — | Source |
Intel
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $52.9B | -$267M | -0.5% | -0.5% | Source |
| FY2024 | $53.1B | -$18.8B | -35.3% | -2.1% | Source |
| FY2023 | $54.2B | $1.7B | 3.1% | -14.0% | Source |
| FY2022 | $63.1B | $8B | 12.7% | -20.2% | Source |
| FY2021 | $79B | $19.9B | 25.1% | +1.5% | Source |
| FY2020 | $77.9B | $20.9B | 26.8% | +8.2% | Source |
| FY2019 | $72B | $21B | 29.2% | +1.6% | Source |
| FY2018 | $70.8B | $21.1B | 29.7% | +12.9% | Source |
| FY2017 | $62.8B | $9.6B | 15.3% | +5.7% | Source |
| FY2016 | $59.4B | $10.3B | 17.4% | — | Source |
Where the revenue comes from
IBM
- Software~44%
Red Hat, automation, data and AI, transaction processing, security, and related software services.
- Consulting~31%
Technology consulting, business transformation, hybrid cloud implementation, and AI-enabled workflows.
- Infrastructure~23%
IBM Z, distributed infrastructure, storage, infrastructure software, maintenance, and related services.
- Financing~1%
Client financing and used equipment sales supporting enterprise technology deployments.
Intel
- Client Computing and Physical AI Group~55%
Core and Core Ultra PC processors, chipsets, and edge platforms; $8.9B in Q2 2026, up 13% year over year.
- Data Center and AI~39%
Xeon server CPUs, AI accelerators, and data-center platforms; $6.3B in Q2 2026, up 59% year over year.
- Intel Foundry (external)small
Wafer manufacturing and advanced packaging for outside customers; most foundry revenue is internal sales to Intel Products and eliminates in consolidation.
- Mobileye and Other~6%
Mobileye ADAS chips and other businesses.
Business model and strategy
IBM
How it makes money
IBM makes money from four segments. Software ($29.96 billion in FY2025, about 44% of revenue) includes Red Hat Enterprise Linux and OpenShift, HashiCorp Terraform and Vault, Confluent data streaming (from March 2026), watsonx AI, automation, security, and mainframe transaction-processing software, sold mostly as subscriptions and recurring licenses.
Growth strategy
IBM does not try to beat AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud at selling public cloud capacity. It sells the software layer that runs across all of them and across on-premises data centers.
Competitive advantage
IBM's main advantage is how deeply it is built into the core systems of large regulated organizations. Banks, card networks, insurers, and governments run high-volume transaction processing on IBM Z, and moving those workloads is slow, risky, and expensive.
Intel
How it makes money
Intel is an integrated device manufacturer (IDM): it designs chips and runs its own fabs in Oregon, Arizona, New Mexico, Ireland, and Israel. Since 2024 it reports two halves. Intel Products (client CPUs, Xeon data-center CPUs, AI accelerators) sells to OEMs, hyperscalers, and enterprises. Intel Foundry manufactures wafers and packages for Intel Products and for external customers, competing with TSMC and Samsung.
Growth strategy
Under Lip-Bu Tan, Intel has cut layers and headcount, slowed some fab projects such as Ohio, and tied foundry spending to committed customer demand.
Competitive advantage
Intel's advantages are the installed base of x86 software, deep OEM and enterprise relationships, leading-edge U.S. fabs, and advanced packaging (EMIB, Foveros) that AI chip designers increasingly need. Its role as the main American maker of leading-edge logic chips also brings policy support: the U.S. government became its largest shareholder in August 2025.
Questions about IBM vs Intel
Which company has higher revenue — International Business Machines Corporation or Intel Corporation?
International Business Machines Corporation reported $67.5B (FY2025), while Intel Corporation reported $52.9B (FY2025). By last reported revenue, International Business Machines Corporation is the larger business, with Intel Corporation reporting a smaller revenue base.
What is the market cap of International Business Machines Corporation vs Intel Corporation?
International Business Machines Corporation's market capitalisation stands at $216.3B, while Intel Corporation's is $639.9B. Intel Corporation carries the higher market valuation, reflecting investors' expectations of its future earnings power relative to International Business Machines Corporation.
Which is more financially efficient — International Business Machines Corporation or Intel Corporation?
International Business Machines Corporation generates $256k / employee in revenue per employee, while Intel Corporation generates $621k / employee. Intel Corporation shows higher revenue efficiency per headcount, though this reflects business model differences — capital-light software companies routinely outperform labour-intensive manufacturers on this metric.
How do International Business Machines Corporation and Intel Corporation make money?
International Business Machines Corporation and Intel Corporation generate revenue in fundamentally different ways. International Business Machines Corporation: IBM makes money from four segments. Intel Corporation: Intel is an integrated device manufacturer (IDM): it designs chips and runs its own fabs in Oregon, Arizona, New Mexico, Ireland, and Israel.
Which company is valued higher relative to revenue — International Business Machines Corporation or Intel Corporation?
On a price-to-sales (P/S) basis, International Business Machines Corporation trades at 3.2x P/S and Intel Corporation at 12.1x P/S. Intel Corporation commands a higher revenue multiple, typically indicating that investors expect faster growth or higher future margins compared to International Business Machines Corporation. A higher multiple is not inherently better — it may also signal that the stock is priced for perfection.
Is International Business Machines Corporation bigger than Intel Corporation?
By last reported revenue, International Business Machines Corporation ($67.5B (FY2025)) is the larger company compared to Intel Corporation ($52.9B (FY2025)). Revenue scale is one dimension of size — market capitalisation, employee count, and geographic reach are also relevant depending on the context.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the IBM vs Intel overview