Intel CEO Pat Gesinger had harsh, and possibly misguided words for Arm fans, saying the chips were insignificant in the PC business.

Gelsinger made the comments as part of Intel’s Q3 2023 earnings call (via Seeking Alpha). As part of the call, Gelsinger touted Intel’s new relationship with Arm, in which Intel will manufacture Arm-based chips.

In response, an analyst asked about the threat Arm posed in the PC industry, with some entities entering the market specifically to develop Arm-based PCs. Gelsinger took a decidedly dismissive tone:

And overall, I think what you’re seeing is the industry is excited around the AIPC. And as I declared this generation of AIPC at our Innovation Conference a couple of months ago, we’re seeing that materialize and customers, competitors seeing excitement around that. ARM and Windows client alternatives, generally, they’ve been relegated to pretty insignificant roles in the PC business.

Interestingly, Gelsinger makes no mention of Apple, the single most successful example of a company eschewing Intel’s chips for its own Arm-based silicon. To add insult to injury, Apple’s custom silicon has helped redefine the laptop market, with industry-leading performance and efficiency.

Gelsinger’s tone is similar to statements he made about AMD at the beginning of 2022, in which he proclaimed: “AMD in the rearview mirror in clients.”

At the time Gelsinger made those statements, AMD had a decided advantage technologically, and there is no indication Intel has substantially closed that gap.

Unless Intel can deliver on Gelsinger’s bluster, the company may soon find itself firmly in third-place in the semiconductor race.