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Tamura Raises Full-Year Forecast, Operating Profit to Hit Record High
Tamura Corporation revised upward its consolidated earnings forecast for the fiscal year ending March 2027 on the 27th. Demand for AI data center-related products remains strong, and the recovery in demand for industrial equipment and price revisions for electronic chemical mounting-related products also contributed, with both sales and profit expected to exceed the initial forecast. Operating profit is expected to increase 22.9% from the previous fiscal year to 6.5 billion yen, significantly surpassing the previous record of 5.4 billion yen set in the fiscal year ended March 2018, compared with the previous forecast of 5.6 billion yen. Net profit was also revised to 5.2 billion yen (compared with the previous forecast of 4.5 billion yen and a loss of 1.3 billion yen in the previous fiscal year).
Z.ai shares surge 8% after releasing AI model running on Chinese chips
Chinese artificial intelligence company Z.ai released a new model Wednesday that it claims operates entirely on homegrown semiconductors, sending its Hong Kong-listed shares up more than 8% in Thursday trading. The low-cost model, called GLM-5.3-Flash, ranks 10th on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, ahead of DeepSeek V4 Pro Max. Z.ai said it used 100,000 China-made chips to handle all online requests for the model, which was released on Aug. 20 under the code name "Ox Alpha" and ranked first by usage on the global OpenRouter platform in the last week. CNBC could not independently verify the chip claims, and Z.ai declined to name the chip suppliers. The release comes amid U.S. restrictions on advanced chip sales to China, prompting domestic alternatives from Huawei and others. Separately, rival MiniMax's shares rose about 3% in Hong Kong after reporting a 283% revenue surge in the first half, though its adjusted net loss more than doubled to $293 million. Z.ai is scheduled to report its first-half results on Monday.
Nvidia Q2/27 revenue tops $96 billion, profit more than doubles
Nvidia reported fiscal 2027 second-quarter results with revenue of $96.22 billion, beating analyst expectations of $92.17 billion, and net income more than doubled from a year ago to $53.95 billion, or $2.22 per share, compared with $24.76 billion, or $1.87 per share, in the same period last year. The data center business, the main growth driver, posted sales of $89 billion, up 117% year over year, amid strong AI demand. Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress said the company expects fiscal 2028 revenue to grow 70%, higher than the 44% analysts had forecast. Despite supply constraints, Nvidia remains a key player in the AI industry and provides financial support through guarantees and agreements to fund new data center construction. Nearly four years after OpenAI launched ChatGPT, latest-quarter revenue more than doubled from $46.7 billion in the same period a year earlier. However, investors have become more cautious as the stock has risen only 13% this year, while competition from Advanced Micro Devices, Google, and others intensifies, and memory costs have surged due to global shortages.
HANA and KCE Stand Out with Rising Profits in 2026-2027
Krungsri Securities Public Company Limited stated that the total net profit of the Electronics group in the second quarter of 2026 was 6.67 billion baht, up 38% year-on-year but down 29% quarter-on-quarter. The year-on-year increase was driven by improved profits across all companies in the group, especially HANA, whose profit surged 840%, and KCE, which rose 52%. Meanwhile, DELTA increased only 31% and declined 33% quarter-on-quarter due to raw material shortages. DELTA's profit is expected to recover in the third quarter of 2026, but not as strongly as the first quarter's 9 billion baht. In contrast, HANA and KCE are expected to see stepwise profit growth from a new upward earnings cycle. The group's profits are forecast to grow 45% and 41% in 2026 and 2027, respectively, with HANA growing 44% and KCE 50% in 2027, while DELTA's growth slows to 29% from 42% as hyperscalers like Amazon and Microsoft delay data center investments. The brokerage maintains a Reduce rating on DELTA with a target price of 244 baht, and recommends buying HANA and KCE, with KCE as the top pick due to its upstream position and better raw material cost control.
Kasikorn Securities Positive on NVIDIA as Q2 Profit Surges 109%, Sees AI Driving 70% Revenue Growth in FY2028
Kasikorn Securities Public Company Limited holds a positive view on NVIDIA Corporation's performance, assessing that the growth trend of the artificial intelligence (AI) business remains strong, as reflected in its revenue estimate for fiscal year 2028, which is expected to grow at least 70% year-over-year, with potential for higher growth if constraints on land, power, and data center building shell (Land, Power, and Shell: LPS) ease. Meanwhile, NVIDIA's stock price rose approximately 4% in pre-market trading. NVIDIA reported adjusted profit for the second quarter of fiscal year 2027 of $53.9 billion, up 109% from the same period last year, and approximately 6% above market expectations. Revenue increased 106%, beating expectations by about 4%, driven significantly by data center revenue, which grew 117% due to deliveries of the Blackwell Ultra platform. Gross profit margin (GPM) stood at 75%. NVIDIA disclosed total commitments of approximately $366 billion, comprising about $279 billion in supply agreements for raw materials and equipment, approximately $29 billion in cloud leases with Cloud Service Providers (CSPs), and an additional $56 billion in commitments to support AI Labs and customers in expanding infrastructure. Additionally, NVIDIA has guarantees of approximately $109 billion for the SB Energy data center project under the PORT-pike technology initiative, which is planned to be leased to OpenAI for 20 years. The first phase has a power capacity of 4.25 gigawatts and is expected to be completed in fiscal year 2029. The project will use approximately 1.5 million NVIDIA GPUs and has the potential to generate revenue of approximately $150-200 billion, with potential for additional capacity expansion of 3.8 gigawatts in the future. KS Research noted that NVIDIA is aware of market concerns about Circular Finance but assesses the risk as limited, as its compute platform is fungible and durable, allowing GPUs to be reallocated to other customers if a particular project does not succeed. Meanwhile, it expects that next year, about a quarter of customers may be supported through NVIDIA's balance sheet. For the third quarter of fiscal year 2027, NVIDIA guides revenue of $108 billion, up 89% year-over-year and about 4% above market expectations. However, GPM is expected to decline slightly to 74% due to the initial ramp of the Vera Rubin platform, which has higher initial costs. GPM is expected to bottom out at approximately 71-72% in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2027 before recovering to 72-73% in fiscal year 2028, driven by price increases expected to take effect from the first quarter of fiscal year 2028. KS Research views the guidance of at least 70% revenue growth for fiscal year 2028 as a significant signal reflecting NVIDIA's confidence in AI demand trends and improved supply chain visibility, with potential for higher growth if Land, Power, and Shell constraints ease. Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, emphasized that "Compute is revenue," noting that current token usage is profitable and demand for compute is accelerating significantly. While initially only some AI Labs were rushing to invest in increasing compute capacity, now many Frontier AI Labs are accelerating expansion of compute capacity to meet continuously rising AI demand. For new technologies, including Vera Rubin, Vera CPU, and Groq 3LPX, they are currently in full production and began shipping in August 2026, with orders from all customers, and are expected to contribute approximately 20% of data center revenue in the next quarter. NVIDIA also disclosed that revenue per gigawatt for Vera Rubin is approximately $40 billion per GW, compared to about $25 billion per GW for Grace Blackwell, with potential to rise to $60-80 billion per GW in the future. Furthermore, KS Research believes that AI Clouds and IE customers will be another key growth driver, in addition to hyperscalers, which currently have a backlog of approximately $2 trillion. The development toward Recursive Self-Improvement (RSI) is likely to significantly accelerate demand for AI compute compared to the Agentic AI era. In summary, KS Research assesses that NVIDIA is transitioning from a GPU manufacturer and seller to a key player and supporter in the comprehensive AI ecosystem, covering compute, networking, data centers, and related infrastructure, reflecting strong long-term growth potential. Although the company may face near-term pressure on GPM from new technology costs, it is likely to offset these impacts through price increases.
Kioxia to Build New Facility in Iwate Prefecture with Investment Exceeding 1 Trillion Yen
It was revealed on the 27th that major semiconductor memory manufacturer Kioxia Holdings will construct a new building for memory production within its plant site in Kitakami City, Iwate Prefecture. The investment is expected to exceed 1 trillion yen, making it a large-scale investment aimed at expanding the company's production capacity. Through the construction of the new facility, the company plans to respond to the increasing demand for advanced memory.
China's July industrial profits grow 11.2%, slowest in 7 months
Profits of China's industrial firms in July expanded 11.2% year-on-year, slowing from 15.1% in June and marking the lowest growth rate in seven months. Export-oriented sectors benefited from the global AI boom, while those reliant on domestic demand continued to face pressure. Data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed that total profits of industrial firms with annual revenue of at least 20 million yuan (about 2.95 million U.S. dollars) in the first seven months stood at 4.58 trillion yuan, up 17.6%, slowing from 18.7% in the first half. The most profitable sectors were computer, communication equipment, and other electronics manufacturing, which surged 110%, followed by smelting and processing of non-ferrous metals, up 91.8%. Meanwhile, optical fiber manufacturing grew 468.4%, optical cables grew 62.6%, and communication system equipment grew 55.0%. In contrast, consumer goods and real estate-related sectors were still hit by weak domestic demand, which is beginning to drag on the recovery of China's 20-trillion-dollar economy amid uncertainties from trade tensions and geopolitical risks.
NVIDIA Expects ~70% Fiscal 2028 Revenue Growth, Resets Margin Outlook
NVIDIA reported record Q2 fiscal 2027 results with total revenue of $96 billion, more than doubling year-over-year, and guided Q3 revenue to $108 billion plus or minus 2%. The company also provided a preliminary expectation for fiscal 2028 revenue to grow approximately 70% year-over-year, calling it a supply-constrained outlook. CFO Colette Kress said NVIDIA is resetting margin expectations due to extreme pricing conditions in memory, guiding Q4 gross margins to 71%-72% and 72%-73% for fiscal 2028. The company announced an expanded AWS relationship with an additional 2 million GPUs deployed through fiscal 2029, and detailed a NeoCloud revenue-sharing structure. NVIDIA returned a record $26 billion to shareholders in Q2, including $20 billion in buybacks and $6 billion in dividends.
Asian Stocks Open Higher on Strong Nvidia Earnings
Asian stock markets opened mostly higher this morning, buoyed by Nvidia, the major U.S. AI chip maker, which reported better-than-expected earnings and forecast continued strong revenue growth. Nvidia shares surged over 4%. The Nikkei index opened at 66,775.78 points, up 513.62 points or 0.78%. The Hang Seng Index opened at 25,774.87 points, up 121.90 points or 0.48%. The Shanghai Composite Index opened at 3,911.89 points, down 0.63 points or 0.02%. The KOSPI surged 2.48%, while the S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.56%. Nvidia announced its latest quarterly results (May-July 2026) with revenue reaching $96.2 billion, up 106% year-over-year, and exceeding analysts' expectations of about $92 billion. Net income surged to $59.7 billion, or $2.46 per share, up 126% from the same period last year. Excluding special items, earnings per share were $2.22, above the analysts' estimate of $2.09 per share. Nvidia's data center business generated revenue of $89 billion, more than doubling from a year ago. The edge computing business brought in $7.2 billion, up 27%. Nvidia also projected current-quarter (August-October 2026) revenue of $108 billion, above market expectations, which would represent an 89% year-over-year increase. The company expects revenue in the next fiscal year starting January 2027 to grow by about 70%, citing supply chain constraints as a limiting factor on sales, not weakening demand. Investors are also watching the Federal Reserve's annual symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, on August 27-29. Fed Chair Kevin Warsh will deliver a speech on Friday, August 28, at 10:00 a.m. U.S. time, which is 9:00 p.m. Thailand time.
Microchip Unveils Radiation Tolerant Atomic Clock for Satellites
Microchip Technology has announced the Space CSAC-SA65, a radiation tolerant Chip Scale Atomic Clock designed for satellite systems, targeting compact, low power timing needs for electronics in challenging environments like Low Earth Orbit. The product aims to improve timing accuracy for growing satellite and space technology applications while helping reduce system complexity and costs. This launch supports Microchip's narrative of higher margin growth from industrial, data center, and defense demand, as well as better factory utilization. The company, with a market cap of roughly $39.9 billion, supplies embedded control solutions into communications, industrial, and aerospace systems, and this new clock fits into its timing portfolio, complementing its AI data center and industrial products. However, pushing deeper into space hardware could pressure the company's capital intensity and debt, as competing with timing specialists like Broadcom or Texas Instruments may require sustained product investment.
Nvidia's net profit more than doubles in May-July quarter
US semiconductor giant Nvidia reported on the 26th that its revenue for the May-July period of 2026 was approximately 2.1 times higher year-on-year at $96.221 billion, with net profit up about 2.3 times to $59.688 billion. According to the announcement materials accompanied by a photo of CEO Jensen Huang, this reflects the company's strong performance.
Tongguan Copper Foil's first-half net profit surges 514.75% year on year
Tongguan Copper Foil disclosed its 2026 semi-annual report on August 26. During the reporting period, it achieved revenue of 4.021 billion yuan, up 34.16% year on year; net profit attributable to the parent company was 215 million yuan, up 514.75% year on year; and net profit attributable to the parent company after deducting non-recurring items was 207 million yuan, up 754.21% year on year. The company plans to distribute a cash dividend of 0.6 yuan per 10 shares, including tax, totaling approximately 49.56 million yuan in cash dividends. The company said the profit growth was mainly due to the recovery of the copper foil industry, with high-end PCB copper foil in short supply. The company optimized its product structure, and the proportion of high-value-added products such as high-frequency and high-speed copper foil increased, with high-frequency and high-speed copper foil output already exceeding 50% of total PCB copper foil output. The industry as a whole has rebounded, and peers such as Jiayuan Technology, Nuode New Materials, Defu Technology, Zhongyi Technology, and Shengyi Technology all posted substantial first-half profit growth. A research report from Soochow Securities estimates that in 2026, the global market demand for high-end copper foil dedicated to AI servers will reach 24,000 tonnes, up 260% year on year; Goldman Sachs expects the global AI server PCB market to reach 84 billion US dollars by 2028.
HANA-DELTA Boost SET Today After NVIDIA Earnings Beat Expectations
Brokers expect the Thai stock market to have a chance to rise to the resistance level of 1,620 points today, supported by tech stocks, especially DELTA and HANA, after NVIDIA reported better-than-expected Q2 FY70 results. Profit expanded 126% year-on-year, revenue increased 106%, and gross margin stood at 75%, 6% higher than Bloomberg's forecast. This drove NVIDIA's stock price up 4.6% in after-hours trading, and this morning the KOSPI index rose 2.5%. On the domestic front, the Monetary Policy Committee kept interest rates unchanged but assessed that the Thai economy is supported by AI, although growth remains low and uneven. They believe that looser interest rates will help revive the economy. Analysts from Pai Securities stated that SET today has a trading range of 1,590 – 1,620 points, recommending investment in tech, tourism, retail, banking, power plant, and industrial estate stocks.
Apple to hold event on September 9, may unveil first foldable iPhone
Apple announced on the 26th that it will hold a product event at 10 a.m. Pacific Time on September 9 (2 a.m. Japan Time on September 10). The event is expected to unveil the new iPhone 18 series, and according to U.S. media, the company may also introduce its first foldable model. Bloomberg reports that while the event will showcase high-end models like the iPhone 18 Pro, the standard iPhone 18 may be delayed until next spring. With AI boom tightening memory chip supply and demand, pricing will also be a key focus. Additionally, on September 1, CEO Tim Cook will become chairman of the board, and John Ternus, senior vice president of hardware, will be promoted to CEO. Attention will also be on the new CEO's message.
Tokyo stocks likely firm, Nvidia earnings as catalyst
Tokyo stocks are expected to be firm on the 27th, with the predicted range between 66,500 and 67,000 yen. Although U.S. stocks fell the previous day, Nvidia's May-July quarter results showed revenue of $96.2 billion, up 2.1 times year-on-year, exceeding market expectations, and rose in after-hours trading. This serves as a catalyst for semiconductor-related stocks. The yen is trading narrowly at the upper 159 yen level against the dollar and the mid-185 yen level against the euro. Chicago Nikkei futures were 440 yen lower at 65,970 yen compared to the Osaka settlement price.
Nvidia CFO defends AI investments against circular financing claims
Nvidia delivered another blockbuster quarter, beating Wall Street's expectations as demand for AI infrastructure continues to surge. Amid growing scrutiny over Nvidia's investments in AI companies and data-center projects, CFO Colette Kress pushed back on the characterization of these as "circular financing," explaining that the chipmaker views its partnerships and investments as strategic opportunities. Kress said Nvidia is going through a major computing platform shift and that the companies it invests in are "once in a generation" with proven technology leadership and skyrocketing customer traction. She expects these investments to yield excellent returns measured against demand strength, business creation, ecosystem building, and equity returns, while noting that Nvidia's compute platform is fungible and can be redeployed to support other customers, limiting risk.
NVIDIA's fiscal second-quarter revenue reached $96.2 billion, a 106% year-over-year increase, with the Data Center segment contributing $89.0 billion, or 92% of total revenue. For the first time, the company disclosed its ACIE segment—covering AI Cloud, Industrial, Enterprise, and Sovereign AI—which generated approximately $40.0 billion, accounting for 45% of Data Center revenue and growing 138% year-over-year. Sovereign AI alone tripled year-over-year, signaling broader demand beyond hyperscalers. NVIDIA also announced $500 billion in compute financing memorandums of understanding with major financial institutions including Apollo, BlackRock, Blackstone, Brookfield, Goldman Sachs, and KKR. The Vera Rubin platform is now in full production, with racks operational at CoreWeave, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, and Nebius. For the third quarter, NVIDIA guides revenue of $108 billion, plus or minus 2%, excluding China Data Center compute revenue, with gross margins projected at 74.0%, plus or minus 50 basis points, down from 75.0% in the second quarter. The company returned approximately $26.0 billion to shareholders in the quarter and has $99.0 billion remaining under its repurchase authorization.
NVIDIA Beats Q2 Estimates with 120% Earnings Growth
NVIDIA reported fiscal second-quarter earnings of $2.22 per share on revenues of $96.2 billion, surpassing Zacks estimates of $2.09 per share and $91.85 billion, marking a 120% year-over-year increase in earnings and 106% in revenue. The Data Center segment alone generated $89.00 billion in revenue, up 117% from a year ago, and the company expects to exceed $100 billion in revenue next quarter for the first time, with guidance of $108 billion plus or minus 2%. In other earnings news, Salesforce posted a big beat with $5.90 per share versus the $3.27 consensus, driven by its partnership with Anthropic, and returned $27.5 billion to shareholders. CrowdStrike shares rose 9.7% after reporting record annual recurring revenue of $333 million, up 51% year over year, and beat on both earnings and revenue. Hewlett-Packard also beat estimates with $0.83 per share versus $0.74 expected, helped by an 11-cent gain from tariff refunds, and raised guidance, while Urban Outfitters met earnings expectations of $1.72 per share on record revenues of $1.66 billion, up 10.4% year over year.
AWS and Nvidia Expand AI Partnership with 2 Million GPUs
Amazon Web Services and Nvidia announced an expansion of their partnership to meet growing demand for AI infrastructure, planning to deploy 2 million additional Nvidia GPUs across AWS's global infrastructure in 2027-2028. The collaboration covers AI factories, CPUs, networking, open models, data processing, and robotics, with AWS adding Nvidia Blackwell Ultra, Rubin, and Rubin Ultra GPUs, and becoming the first major cloud provider to offer RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell Server Edition GPUs for Amazon EC2 G7 instances. The companies are also bringing Vera CPU-based infrastructure to AWS and building AI factories for the U.S. government, delivering 100,000 GPUs on secure infrastructure for federal and national-security workloads classified at Impact Level 6 and above. AWS CEO Matt Garman emphasized customer choice and seamless integration, while Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang noted that demand is running ahead of every forecast. Additionally, Nvidia's Nemotron open models are available on Amazon Bedrock and SageMaker, and Amazon Robotics is collaborating with Nvidia on next-generation robots using Nvidia's physical AI platform.
Nvidia reported quarterly earnings of $2.22 per share, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.09, and revenue of $96.22 billion, beating estimates by 4.82%. This compares to earnings of $1.05 per share and revenue of $46.74 billion a year ago. The company has topped consensus EPS estimates in each of the last four quarters. Nvidia shares have gained about 14.2% year-to-date, outperforming the S&P 500's 12.2% rise. Looking ahead, the consensus EPS estimate for the current quarter is $2.33 on $102 billion in revenue, and for the fiscal year it is $8.92 on $388.46 billion in revenue. The stock currently holds a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Xiaomi has unveiled the Xring O3, the second generation of its proprietary smartphone processor, as part of a strategy to strengthen its premium push and reduce reliance on external suppliers. The chip, manufactured by TSMC using 3-nanometre technology, is expected to power Xiaomi's next flagship foldable phone, with shipments targeted at 200,000 to 300,000 units. This move comes as Xiaomi faces a sharp decline in handset sales, dropping from 84 million units in the first half of 2025 to 65 million in the same period of 2026, despite an increase in average selling price to 1,329 yuan from 1,141 yuan. The company has already invested over 20 billion yuan in Xring development, with plans to invest at least 50 billion yuan over a decade. The O3 is part of a broader chip strategy that includes the Xring O100 neural-processing chip and the Xring D100 autonomous-driving processor, both scheduled for deployment next year. However, the investment arrives during a severe handset downturn, with global smartphone shipments expected to decline 14% in 2026, according to IDC data.
Amazon to Buy 2 Million Nvidia Chips for Data Center Build-Out
Amazon.com Inc. will add an additional 2 million Nvidia Corp. graphics processing units to its data center fleet in the next two years, a sign that the company remains committed to the AI hardware leader's products despite its own competitive chipmaking efforts. The two companies said on Wednesday that Amazon would deploy some 2 million of Nvidia's high-end chips, which are designed to train and run artificial intelligence models, in 2027 and 2028. That's in addition to the 1 million Nvidia chips Amazon in March said that it would be installing in Amazon Web Services data centers, beginning this year. The chips in the latest deal include Nvidia Blackwell Ultra, Rubin and Rubin Ultra GPUs. Those products will likely carry a list price of at least tens of thousands of dollars a unit, though big customers can get discounts. Amazon and Nvidia didn't announce financial terms of their latest deal.
Nvidia beats earnings but analyst maintains sell rating
Nvidia delivered a strong quarter, beating Wall Street expectations and offering a stronger-than-expected outlook, but Seaport Research Partners senior analyst Jay Goldberg maintains a sell rating, arguing that the stock is unlikely to surprise investors given that the company is sold out. Goldberg, one of only a few analysts with a sell on Nvidia, notes that about 96% of analysts have a buy rating, and he positions his sell as an underperform, citing relative performance concerns. He points out that Nvidia has been the worst-performing stock in the SOX index over the past year and faces potential headwinds such as data center delays, tight supply chains, and increased competition from AMD, Google, and custom chips from Anthropic and OpenAI. While he acknowledges avenues for improvement, such as additional capacity or software revenue, he expects margin pressure ahead.
Lattice Semiconductor Rises on Benchmark Buy Rating
Lattice Semiconductor shares rose 3.2% in afternoon trading after Benchmark Equity Research initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a $160 price target. The firm highlighted Lattice's growing market share in programmable logic integrated circuits and its expansion into mid-size FPGAs, as well as its presence in data center and networking applications. Benchmark also expressed optimism about Lattice's $1.65 billion acquisition of AMI, projecting that integrating AMI's secure management platform could expand gross margins beyond 70% and push operating margins over 40%. The stock closed at $119.17, up 2.6% from the previous close.
U.S. chip giant Nvidia on Thursday gave a third-quarter (August-October) revenue forecast that beat market expectations. However, shares fell 1.2% in after-hours trading on concerns about whether it can maintain its dominant position in the artificial intelligence (AI) chip market over the long term. The revenue forecast was $10.8 billion (plus or minus 2%), above LSEG analysts' estimate of $10.419 billion. Sales of data center chips to China are not included in the forecast.
SK hynix Invests $720 Billion in Memory Chips Amid 21% Stock Decline
SK hynix is spending $720 billion on what it calls the largest network of memory factories in the world, a buildout so large that South Korea's president is urging both SK hynix and rival Samsung to add capacity even faster under a national plan to double the country's memory production within five years. The company, which controls 58% of the high-bandwidth memory market, raised $26.5 billion in July through its Nasdaq listing, the most ever by a foreign company on US markets, and has signed a $500 billion co-development deal with Nvidia. However, its Nasdaq-listed shares have fallen about 21% from their July 14 high, closing recently at $154.41 amid AI-trade volatility. Meanwhile, Samsung, which trades at just 4.2 times forward earnings, saw its shares surge 6.7% in a single day on reports that Singapore's Temasek plans to invest directly in the company. The massive investment underscores SK hynix's conviction that AI memory demand is structural, but the stock's slide suggests investors remain skeptical.
Nvidia beats Q2 estimates as AI demand drives record revenue
Nvidia reported stronger-than-expected second-quarter results on Wednesday after the market close, with adjusted earnings per share of $2.22 beating analyst estimates of $2.09, and revenue of $96.2 billion surpassing the expected $92.38 billion. Data center revenue reached $89 billion, ahead of the $85.86 billion forecast, while the company guided third-quarter revenue to $108 billion, above the consensus of $105.16 billion. Gross margin improved to 75% from 72.7% a year earlier. The company also noted that its Vera Rubin platform is now in full production. Despite the strong numbers, analysts are focused on concerns about competition from major customers like Alphabet and Amazon, as well as questions about circular financing in the AI sector.
Synopsys Q3 EPS and Revenue Beat, Raises Full-Year Guidance
Synopsys reported third-quarter non-GAAP earnings per share of $3.91, beating estimates by $0.24, and revenue of $2.48 billion, up 42.5% year-over-year and $40 million above consensus. The company raised its full-year revenue guidance to $9.715 billion at the midpoint, versus the consensus of $9.68 billion, and its non-GAAP EPS guidance to $15.07, versus the consensus of $14.77, citing continued AI-driven demand strength. Shares fell 1.4% in after-hours trading.
OpenAI's push to build proprietary AI chips could benefit Broadcom, according to BNP Paribas, which identified Broadcom and Celestica as winners from OpenAI's Jalapeno inference chip, as reported by Seeking Alpha. The chip was a key highlight from the Hot Chips conference, reflecting a broader trend of major AI firms developing specialized accelerators, such as Google's TPUs, Meta's MTIA, and Microsoft's Maia. Broadcom's existing exposure to custom silicon and networking, including Meta's use of its Tomahawk Ultra for scale-up networking, positions it well as AI infrastructure becomes more specialized. BNP noted that agentic AI is driving innovation across CPUs, memory, and networking, suggesting the AI trade is shifting from a single GPU provider to the entire infrastructure stack.
Sony and TSMC Form $4.7 Billion Joint Venture for Image Sensors
Sony Group and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company have agreed to form a $4.7 billion joint venture to develop and manufacture next-generation image sensors for smartphones, with mass production expected to begin in 2029. Sony will be the sole controlling shareholder, contributing about $2.92 billion partly by transferring its newly built Kumamoto chip factory, while TSMC will invest $1.77 billion and provide manufacturing expertise. The structure is designed to limit Sony's capital spending while capturing AI-era demand for camera "eyes" in machines, and the companies are counting on Japanese government support. TSMC's investment expands its footprint into image sensors alongside its existing Kumamoto chip plant, though it raises questions about resource allocation amid high demand for AI chips. The joint venture is part of a broader trend, with Sony held by 27 hedge funds and TSMC by 234 as of Q1 2026.
Jim Cramer Highlights Sandisk's Massive Buybacks After Stock Surge
Jim Cramer highlighted Sandisk Corporation's capital-return plans on the August 24 episode of Mad Money, noting that the memory maker intends to return 100% of its excess cash to shareholders, with $4.5 billion in buybacks in its fiscal fourth quarter and an additional $14 billion added to its repurchase authorization. The stock has surged 529% year to date, making it the top performer in the S&P 500. Sandisk's fiscal 2026 revenue reached $20.25 billion, up 175% from fiscal 2025, with GAAP net income of $11.43 billion versus a $1.64 billion loss a year earlier. The company's fourth-quarter non-GAAP gross margin hit 84.6%, up from 78.4% in the previous quarter and 26.4% in the year-ago quarter. Sandisk has signed agreements with eight customers covering about 50% of bits in fiscal 2027 and roughly two-thirds in fiscal 2028, aiming to reduce exposure to the NAND cycle. Hedge fund participation increased to 128 funds in Q2 from 114, while short interest stands at 7.36% of the float.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, the world's largest contract chipmaker, reported July revenue of NT$467.58 billion, a 44.7% leap from a year earlier, with shares trading at $415.66. Revenue for the first seven months soared 37% to NT$2.872 trillion, and second-quarter sales reached $40.2 billion with a 67.7% gross margin and a 60.3% operating margin. Management expects third-quarter revenue between $44.6 billion and $45.8 billion, with a midpoint of $45.2 billion indicating another 12.4% sequential jump. However, the stock trades 30.24% above its GF Value of $319.14, signaling that investors already expect advanced-node production and AI accelerators to remain hot, and any soft demand signal could hit hard given the growth is priced in.
Nvidia AI Server Prices to Rise Over 15% on Memory Costs
Nvidia has informed some of its largest customers that prices for servers containing its AI chips will increase by more than 15%, according to a Bloomberg News report from August 22. The hikes, which take effect on systems shipped early next year, will include those with the flagship Vera Rubin and Grace Blackwell chips. The increases are driven by soaring memory costs, not Nvidia's own manufacturing expenses, and server manufacturers supplying Microsoft, Oracle, and Google have already begun notifying customers. The news comes just days before Nvidia's earnings release on August 26, where investors will watch for confirmation and margin impact. While the hikes could signal pricing power and strong demand, they may also push buyers toward alternatives, though major customers like Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, and Google remain dependent on Nvidia for their data center build-out.
Applied Materials Enters New AI-Driven Growth Cycle
Applied Materials has entered a new AI-driven growth cycle, reporting record revenue of $9.12 billion with non-GAAP EPS of $3.50 and GAAP EPS of $3.17, and gross margin above 50% for the 13th consecutive quarter of year-over-year expansion. The company expects Q4 revenue of approximately $10.25 billion, up 51% year-over-year, with non-GAAP EPS of $4.02, up 85%, and Semiconductor Systems revenue projected to rise 62% to about $7.9 billion. UBS analyst Timothy Arcuri maintains a Buy rating with a $675 price objective, citing aggressive capacity expansion and share gains, and the company aims to double systems output capacity by CY 2028. Applied Materials also rolled out six new systems targeting DRAM and advanced packaging, and its $500 million Singapore expansion more than doubles advanced cleanroom capacity there. However, rising expectations leave little room for error, as any slowdown in AI-related semiconductor spending, subdued DRAM investment, or delays in advanced-node capacity additions could weigh on the stock.
Rosenblatt Raises Marvell Price Target to $300 Ahead of Earnings
Rosenblatt Securities has lifted its price target on Marvell Technology to $300 from $240, reiterating a Buy rating ahead of the company's fiscal second-quarter earnings report on Thursday. Analyst Sajal Dogra expects another beat-and-raise quarter, driven by strength in optical interconnects and expanding custom AI-chip programs. Wall Street forecasts earnings of $0.93 per share, up about 39% year over year, on revenue of roughly $2.72 billion, representing about 35% growth. Dogra sees more than 25% sequential growth in optical interconnects and highlights Marvell's custom-chip partnerships with Microsoft, Amazon, and Google, which are expected to become increasingly important in fiscal 2028 and 2029. Google, in particular, has expanded its partnership with Marvell and holds warrants to purchase up to 58.97 million shares at $206.58 each. The analyst also notes that rising semiconductor-development costs could benefit Marvell due to its ability to reuse intellectual property across customers. Investors are advised to focus on guidance and commentary on optics and custom silicon, as well as any changes to long-term outlook, with Marvell's investor day in early October also a key event.
Micron Technology Inc. has announced a leadership reshuffle ahead of its next phase of AI-driven growth, appointing Manish Bhatia as president and chief operational officer and Scott DeBoer as president and chief technology and product officer. Bhatia, who joined Micron in 2017, will oversee worldwide operations, business units, capital investment, manufacturing, customer demand, pricing, and delivery. DeBoer, a Micron veteran since 1995 who has co-led the development of 15 technology nodes, will lead the memory and storage roadmap, customer innovation, and Micron Research Labs. Meanwhile, Sumit Sadana, former executive vice president and chief business officer, will transition to a senior adviser role reporting to CEO Sanjay Mehrotra. The changes come as Micron seeks to better capitalize on AI-driven demand for advanced memory, with a focus on capacity planning, pricing discipline, and product development to improve profitability.
Photronics Guides Q4 Revenue to $207M-$227M, Widens Range on Design-Release Uncertainty
Photronics expects fiscal Q4 revenue between $207 million and $227 million, widening its guidance range due to persistent uncertainty in design-release timing, while reporting fiscal Q3 revenue of $216 million, up 3% year-over-year and above the high end of its prior guidance. The company's high-end IC business achieved a record 44% of IC's $155 million in revenue, driven by node migration at 28-nanometer, 22-nanometer, and 14-nanometer. CFO Eric Rivera guided fiscal Q4 operating margin between 19% and 24% and non-GAAP diluted EPS between $0.40 and $0.56, and updated fiscal 2026 CapEx guidance to $255 million to $305 million, with some spending potentially shifting into fiscal 2027. Management cited high fab utilization, memory costs, and geopolitical conditions as key factors limiting visibility, and reiterated that EUV investments will be staged through partnerships as opportunities emerge.
KLA Sees Advanced Packaging Revenue Surge, Faces Rivals
KLA is benefiting from accelerating demand for advanced packaging driven by AI and high-performance computing, with the company expecting its advanced packaging process-control systems revenues to reach approximately $1.1 billion in calendar 2026, representing growth of more than 70% year over year. The company's broad portfolio, including wafer inspection and metrology systems and chemistry process-control systems, positions it to capture spending across multiple stages of advanced packaging, while HPC packaging and integration are also driving demand in its Specialty Process and PCB and Component Inspection businesses, with these combined products expected to grow more than 25% in calendar 2026. However, KLA faces tough competition from Onto Innovation and Applied Materials, with Onto raising its 2026 advanced packaging growth outlook to approximately 80% and securing more than $200 million of Dragonfly orders from a single OSAT, and Applied Materials expecting its process diagnostics and control business to grow more than 50% in 2026. KLA shares have jumped 50.9% year to date, outperforming the broader Zacks Computer and Technology sector's return of 15.4%, but the stock is overvalued with a forward 12-month price/sales of 13.05X compared with the sector's 6.32X. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2027 earnings is pegged at $5.43 per share, up 7.1% over the past 30 days, suggesting 44.41% growth from fiscal 2026, and KLA currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Cisco breaks hardware rule with Supermicro AI server partnership
Cisco Systems has broken its biggest hardware rule by selling AI server hardware directly through a new partnership with Super Micro Computer, pulling the company deeper into a business it traditionally left to others. Announced Tuesday, Cisco is expanding its Secure AI Factory with Nvidia architecture to include Supermicro's liquid and air cooled server systems, which will be sold and validated as part of Cisco's own AI infrastructure portfolio. The combined stack becomes compliant with Nvidia's Cloud Partner program, a credential neoclouds and sovereign cloud operators look for before signing large contracts. Cisco President and Chief Product Officer Jeetu Patel said the industry is at the state of "one of the largest datacenter buildouts in history." Cisco shares rose roughly 1% Tuesday, while Supermicro jumped about 9%. Twenty-six analysts polled by S&P Global rate Cisco a consensus Buy with an average price target near $133, and Morgan Stanley reiterated an Overweight rating and a $135 price target. Supermicro's fiscal fourth quarter revenue reached $11.1 billion, up from $5.8 billion a year earlier, with gross margin recovering to 17.5% from 9.5%, and the company guided fiscal 2027 revenue to a range of $65 billion to $72 billion. Cisco disclosed no committed order volume or pricing, and Supermicro's systems become available through Cisco's channel starting in October 2026.
Bank of America Securities analyst Vivek Arya said on CNBC that Nvidia could generate $1 billion in free cash flow every weekday by this time next year, a milestone no other company has achieved. Arya argued that Nvidia trades at just 0.3 times earnings growth, making it 30% to 50% undervalued, with a consensus analyst target near $305. He noted that Nvidia has fallen 1% to 5% after each of its last four earnings beats, shifting investor focus to balance sheet disclosures over EPS. In Q1 FY27, Nvidia reported $50.34 billion in operating cash flow, $48.55 billion in free cash flow, and $119 billion in total supply-related commitments, while authorizing an additional $80 billion share repurchase and raising its quarterly dividend to $0.25 per share. Arya highlighted strong demand from large customers, supply access, and the upcoming Vera Rubin product cycle as key drivers.