AI chips

AT&S, the Austrian substrate manufacturer, is featured in a new report on the growing competition to produce advanced IC substrates, the critical layer that connects AI chips to circuit boards. The technology is becoming a bottleneck as demand for AI accelerators surges, and companies and governments are racing to expand capacity and secure supply of these components.

Data centers, power plants and chip facilities for artificial intelligence are being built across the United States at a pace that could surpass any previous infrastructure boom in the country's history. Analysts point to massive capital commitments from tech companies racing to secure computing power, raising questions about electricity demand, grid strain and whether the investment will pay off.

AMD and Broadcom are at the center of a divide among Wall Street analysts over which company is best positioned for the next phase of the AI chip market. Investors are weighing each firm's roadmap and exposure to artificial intelligence spending, with no consensus on which stock holds the stronger position as demand for AI accelerators keeps reshaping the semiconductor industry.

Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang has dismissed predictions that artificial intelligence could destroy humanity within the decade, saying there is a '0% chance' of such an outcome by 2030. His comments push back against warnings from AI safety advocates, including Anthropic, who have cautioned about catastrophic risks from increasingly powerful systems. The remarks are drawing attention given Nvidia's central role in supplying the chips powering the AI boom.

Huawei's Ascend chips have overtaken Nvidia in China's AI chip market, according to a new report. The shift reflects the impact of US export controls that have restricted Nvidia's access to Chinese customers, pushing domestic buyers toward Huawei's homegrown alternatives. Analysts see it as a milestone for China's semiconductor self-sufficiency push, though questions remain about Ascend's performance and production capacity at scale.

Major technology companies are increasingly using guarantees to support debt raised for AI data centres and chips, issuing up to $300 billion in commitments within a year. Analysts note that much of this exposure is not recorded on their balance sheets, raising questions about transparency and hidden financial risk as AI infrastructure spending accelerates.

Morningstar argues that the popular claim that artificial intelligence spending is driving inflation deserves a more nuanced look. The piece pushes back on the simple narrative that data center buildouts and AI investment are broadly pushing up consumer prices, suggesting the picture is more complicated than headlines suggest. It comes amid ongoing debate over how much AI infrastructure spending is affecting energy demand, chip costs and the wider economy.

New AI chips are roughly ten times more energy efficient than previous generations, but total electricity demand from data centers keeps rising sharply. The paradox driving discussion is that efficiency gains are being overwhelmed by explosive growth in AI workloads, as more powerful models and wider deployment mean operators keep adding servers, pushing overall power consumption higher despite better hardware.

Chinese AI startup Moonshot is reportedly seeking access to additional Nvidia Blackwell chips, according to a report circulating this week. The news comes just a week after a Trump administration official flagged an export control breach involving Nvidia's advanced chips. The development highlights continuing tensions over US restrictions on selling cutting-edge semiconductors to Chinese companies, a dispute that has become a central flashpoint in the technology rivalry between Washington and Beijing.

ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok, gained access to more than 2,000 Nvidia B200 chips through Nscale's data center in Norway, according to a new filing. A Singaporean subsidiary called Spring accounted for 73% of the UK-based neocloud's 2025 revenue. The report is drawing attention because the US restricts exports of advanced Nvidia AI chips to China, raising questions about how US-made hardware reached a Chinese firm indirectly.

Huawei has announced plans for two advanced AI chips slated for 2027, putting Nvidia stock in focus as investors weigh rising Chinese competition in the AI semiconductor market. Traders are watching how Huawei's roadmap could challenge Nvidia's dominance in AI accelerators and what it means for US export restrictions and Nvidia's China business.

A Brookings Institution researcher argues that the current AI buildout will amount to the largest infrastructure investment bet in United States history, surpassing previous eras of massive spending on railroads, highways, and telecommunications. The claim underscores the enormous scale of capital flowing into data centers, chips, and energy capacity to support artificial intelligence development.

Reports suggest Apple may be considering a return to the server market, a business it exited years ago. The move would put the company in direct competition with established server and data-center players amid growing demand for AI infrastructure. Observers are watching whether Apple's chip ambitions could translate into server hardware, reshuffling the competitive landscape among major technology vendors.

NVIDIA's GTC conference is in the spotlight. The event is the company's flagship gathering focused on AI, chips and computing, where NVIDIA typically unveils new GPU architectures, software tools and partnerships. Attendees and industry watchers are following announcements closely, as the conference often signals the direction of the semiconductor and artificial intelligence markets for the months ahead.

Qualcomm has announced two new smartphone chips as it deepens its push into on-device artificial intelligence, positioning itself against rivals in the mobile processor market. Despite the product launch, the company's stock edged lower in after-hours trading, suggesting investors were not immediately impressed or had expected more from the announcement.

Qualcomm has announced its new flagship phone chips, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and, for the first time alongside it, an 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6. The company describes both as flagships, with the differences between them said to be relatively minor, mostly limited to improved AI processing, video capture and gaming performance.

Broadcom's stock is trading at roughly the same level where it ended 2025, even though the company's earnings have grown about 43% since then. The Motley Fool asks whether the flat share price makes the AI-chip and networking giant a buy, arguing that significantly higher earnings at the same valuation could signal upside. Investors are weighing whether Broadcom's recent stagnation reflects market caution or a buying opportunity.

The United States and China have struck a trade agreement reportedly worth $30 billion, covering American purchases of Chinese chips and toys alongside tariff adjustments. The deal also establishes an AI safety hotline between the two governments, a step aimed at reducing risks around advanced artificial intelligence. The accord signals a partial easing of tensions in the ongoing trade conflict between Washington and Beijing.

Google has announced Project Suncatcher, an initiative to test its AI chips in space for the first time. The plan points to putting data-processing hardware aboard satellites, a step that could eventually move parts of AI computing off Earth. The announcement is drawing attention across the tech and semiconductor world, with observers weighing the engineering challenges of running chips in orbit and what it could mean for the future of data centers.

Google is preparing to test its AI chips in space, according to a report carried by The Brussels Times. The move suggests the company is exploring how its custom AI hardware performs outside Earth, though details on the mission, timeline and partners have not been disclosed. Observers of the semiconductor and space industries are watching for what this could mean for satellite computing and data processing in orbit.