As U.S. equity markets continue their relentless climb, a growing number of stocks are flashing warning signs through one of the most widely followed technical indicators: the Relative Strength Index (RSI).
Designed to measure momentum, RSI values above 70 typically indicate that a stock is overbought and may be due for a pullback.
As of early July 2025, several high-profile U.S. companies have RSI readings well above this threshold, suggesting that investor enthusiasm may be outpacing fundamentals.
🔍 What Is RSI?
The RSI is a momentum oscillator that ranges from 0 to 100. Readings above 70 suggest a stock is overbought, while readings below 30 indicate it may be oversold. While not a crystal ball, RSI is a useful tool for identifying potential reversals or pauses in price trends.
🚨 Top 5 Overbought U.S. Stocks (as of 1st July 2025)
These companies have benefited from the ongoing AI and biotech booms, with Nvidia and AMD riding the wave of demand for next-gen chips, while Alnylam and Circle Internet Group have surged on strong earnings and innovation in their respective sectors.
đź“Š RSI Snapshot: Top 10 U.S. Stocks by RSI
Rank
Company
Ticker
RSI
Sector
1
Nvidia
NVDA
84.3
Semiconductors
2
Super Micro Computer
SMCI
82.7
Hardware
3
AMD
AMD
80.1
Semiconductors
4
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals
ALNY
78.9
Biotech
5
Circle Internet Group
CIRC
77.5
Internet Services
6
Mereo BioPharma Group
MPH
76.4
Biotech
7
AVITA Medical
AVH
75.2
Healthcare
8
Microsoft
MSFT
74.8
Software
9
Lumentum Holdings
LITE
73.6
Optical Tech
10
Workiva
WK
72.9
Cloud Software
đź“Ś What This Means for Investors
While high RSI doesn’t guarantee a drop, it does suggest caution. Stocks like Nvidia and Super Micro may continue to rise in the short term, but their elevated RSI levels imply that momentum could stall or reverse if sentiment shifts or earnings disappoint.
Investors should consider pairing RSI with other indicators – such as MACD, volume trends, and earnings outlooks – before making decisions.
For long-term holders, these signals may simply be noise. But for traders, they’re a flashing yellow light.
AMD has officially lifted the curtain on its next-generation AI chip, the Instinct MI400, marking a significant escalation in the battle for data centre dominance.
Set to launch in 2026, the MI400 is designed to power hyperscale AI workloads with unprecedented efficiency and performance.
Sam Altman and OpenAI have played a surprisingly hands-on role in AMD’s development of the Instinct MI400 series.
Altman appeared on stage with AMD CEO Lisa Su at the company’s ‘Advancing AI’ event, where he revealed that OpenAI had provided direct feedback during the chip’s design process.
Altman described his initial reaction to the MI400 specs as ‘totally crazy’ but expressed excitement at how close AMD has come to delivering on its ambitious goals.
He praised the MI400’s architecture – particularly its memory design – as being well-suited for both inference and training tasks.
OpenAI has already been using AMD’s MI300X chips for some workloads and is expected to adopt the MI400 series when it launches in 2026.
This collaboration is part of a broader trend: OpenAI, traditionally reliant on Nvidia GPUs via Microsoft Azure, is now diversifying its compute stack.
AMD’s open standards and cost-effective performance are clearly appealing, especially as OpenAI also explores its own chip development efforts with Broadcom.
AMD’s one-year chart snap-shot
One-year AMD chart snap-shot
So, while OpenAI isn’t ditching Nvidia entirely, its involvement with AMD signals a strategic shift—and a vote of confidence in AMD’s growing role in the AI hardware ecosystem.
At the heart of AMD’s strategy is the Helios rack-scale system, a unified architecture that allows thousands of MI400 chips to function as a single, massive compute engine.
This approach is tailored for the growing demands of large language models and generative AI, where inference speed and energy efficiency are paramount.
AMD technical power
The MI400 boasts a staggering 432GB of next-generation HBM4 memory and a bandwidth of 19.6TB/sec—more than double that of its predecessor.
With up to four Accelerated Compute Dies (XCDs) and enhanced interconnects, the chip delivers 40 PFLOPs of FP4 performance, positioning it as a formidable rival to Nvidia’s Rubin R100 GPU.
AMD’s open-source networking technology, UALink, replaces Nvidia’s proprietary NVLink, reinforcing the company’s commitment to open standards. This, combined with aggressive pricing and lower power consumption, gives AMD a compelling value proposition.
The company claims its chips can deliver 40% more AI tokens per dollar than Nvidia’s offerings.
Big tech follows AMD
OpenAI, Meta, Microsoft, and Oracle are among the major players already integrating AMD’s Instinct chips into their infrastructure. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, speaking at the launch event reportedly praised the MI400’s capabilities, calling it ‘an amazing thing‘.
With the AI chip market projected to exceed $500 billion by 2028, AMD’s MI400 is more than just a product—it’s a statement of intent. As the race for AI supremacy intensifies, AMD is betting big on performance, openness, and affordability to carve out a larger share of the future.
It certainly looks like AMD is positioning the Instinct MI400 as a serious contender in the AI accelerator space – and Nvidia will be watching closely.
The MI400 doesn’t just aim to catch up; it’s designed to challenge Nvidia head-on with bold architectural shifts and aggressive performance-per-dollar metrics.
Nvidia has long held the upper hand with its CUDA software ecosystem and dominant market share, especially with the popularity of its H100 and the upcoming Rubin GPU. But AMD is playing the long game.
Nvidia 0ne-year chart snapshot
Nvidia 0ne-year chart snapshot
By offering open standards like UALink and boasting impressive specs like 432GB of HBM4 memory and 40 PFLOPs of FP4 performance, the MI400 is pushing into territory that was once Nvidia’s alone.
Whether it truly rivals Nvidia will depend on a few key factors: industry adoption, software compatibility, real-world performance under AI workloads, and AMD’s ability to scale production and support.
But with major players like OpenAI, Microsoft, and Meta already lining up to adopt the MI400.
U.S. tech giants are making bold strides in the development of humanoid robots, signalling a transformative shift in the robotics industry
Companies like Tesla, Google, Microsoft, and Nvidia are investing heavily in this cutting-edge technology, aiming to create machines that mimic human movement and behaviour.
These humanoid robots are envisioned to revolutionise industries ranging from manufacturing to healthcare, offering solutions to labor shortages and enhancing productivity.
Tesla’s Optimus project is a prime example of this ambition. CEO Elon Musk has announced plans to produce thousands of these robots, designed to perform repetitive and physically demanding tasks.
Optimus robots are expected to integrate seamlessly into factory settings, reducing the need for human intervention in hazardous environments.
Similarly, Boston Dynamics, known for its agile robots, continues to push the boundaries of what humanoid machines can achieve, focusing on tasks that require precision and adaptability.
The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) is a driving force behind these advancements. AI enables robots to learn from their environments, adapt to new tasks, and interact with humans in more intuitive ways.
Companies like Nvidia are leveraging their expertise in AI and machine learning are helping to develop robots capable of complex decision-making and problem-solving.
However, challenges remain. High production costs, limited battery life, and safety concerns are significant hurdles that need to be addressed before humanoid robots can achieve widespread adoption.
Despite these obstacles, the potential benefits are immense. From assisting the elderly to performing intricate surgeries, humanoid robots could redefine the boundaries of human capability.
As U.S. tech giants continue to innovate, the race to dominate the humanoid robotics market intensifies.
Tesla Optimus Gen 2
With China and other nations also making significant investments, the competition is fierce. Analysts warn that U.S. firms could lose out to China, which aims to replicate its success with electric vehicles in the robotics space race.
The future of humanoid robots promises to be a fascinating blend of technology, creativity, and global collaboration
U.S. companies that may benefit from this AI humanoid tech advancement
Tesla: Known for its Optimus humanoid robot project, Tesla is pushing boundaries in robotics and AI.
Google (Alphabet): A leader in AI and robotics research, with projects aimed at enhancing humanoid capabilities.
Microsoft: Investing in AI technologies that support robotics and automation.
Nvidia: Provides advanced AI chips and systems crucial for humanoid robot development.
Boston Dynamics: Famous for its agile robots like Atlas, focusing on precision and adaptability.
Agility Robotics: Creator of Digit, a humanoid robot designed for logistics and manufacturing.
Meta (Facebook): Exploring humanoid robots for social and interactive applications.
Apple: Investing in robotics and AI for potential humanoid advancements.
Amazon: Developing robots like Astro for home monitoring and other tasks.
Figure AI: Innovating humanoid robots like Figure 02 for various industries.
Bill Gates on AI
Bill Gates has shared some fascinating insights about AI recently. He reportedly believes that within the next decade, AI will transform many industries, making specialised knowledge widely accessible.
For example, he predicts that AI could provide high-quality medical advice and tutoring, addressing global shortages of doctors and educators.
Gates has also described this shift as the ‘age of free intelligence,’ where AI becomes a commonplace tool integrated into everyday life. While he acknowledges the immense potential of AI to solve global challenges – like developing breakthrough treatments for diseases and innovative solutions for climate change – he also recognises the disruptive impact it could have on jobs and the workforce.
Despite these concerns, Gates remains optimistic about AI’s ability to drive innovation and improve lives.
He has emphasised that certain human activities, like playing sports or hosting talk shows, will likely remain uniquely human.
However, despite all these predictions from powerful tech leaders – it does beg the question, do these ultra rich CEOs predict the future, or simply make it?
What if Quantum Physics coincides and collides with the ‘full’ arrival of AI and humanoid robots
Quantum computing could enhance the capabilities of AI-powered robots by solving complex optimisation problems, improving machine learning algorithms, and enabling real-time decision-making.
For instance, robots equipped with quantum sensors could navigate intricate environments, detect subtle changes in their surroundings, and interact with humans in more intuitive ways.
This fusion could revolutionise industries such as healthcare, manufacturing, and space exploration. Imagine humanoid robots performing intricate surgeries with precision, managing large-scale logistics, or exploring distant planets with advanced problem-solving abilities.
However, this convergence also raises ethical and societal questions. The potential for such powerful technologies to disrupt industries, impact employment, and challenge privacy norms must be carefully managed.
Collaboration between scientists, policymakers, and ethicists will be crucial to ensure these advancements benefit humanity as a whole.
The intersection of quantum physics, AI, and humanoid robotics is not just a technological milestone – it’s a glimpse into a future where the boundaries of human capability and machine intelligence blur.
It’s an exciting, albeit complex future humans are creating.
But will AI surpass human intelligence – and if it does what then for the human civilisation?
While the company managed to surpass expectations in certain areas, it fell short in others, notably in data centre revenue.
Key highlights
Earnings per share (EPS): AMD reported an adjusted EPS of $1.09, slightly above the expected $1.08. This indicates a stable performance in terms of profitability, showcasing the company’s ability to manage costs effectively.
Revenue: The company posted a revenue of $7.66 billion, surpassing analysts’ estimates of $7.53 billion. This positive result highlights AMD’s continued growth and market presence, particularly in its core segments.
Data centre sales: Despite the overall positive revenue, AMD’s data centre sales fell short of expectations. Sales in this segment nearly doubled to $3.86 billion, reflecting a 69% increase year-over-year. However, this figure was below the anticipated $4.14 billion, signaling challenges in meeting the high demand and competition in the data center market.
Income: AMD reported a net income of $482 million, or 29 cents per share, down from $667 million, or 41 cents per share, in the year-ago period. This decline in net income suggests that the company faced increased expenses or other financial challenges during the quarter.
First quarter guidance
Looking ahead, AMD has provided guidance for the first quarter of 2025. The company expects Q1 sales to be around $7.1 billion, with a gross margin of approximately 54%. This forecast indicates cautious optimism, with AMD aiming to navigate the complexities of the semiconductor industry and maintain steady growth.
CEO’s statement
AMD’s CEO, Lisa Su, reportedly expressed confidence in the company’s future, particularly in the data centre AI market.
She highlighted the significant opportunities and potential for growth in this area, predicting strong double-digit revenue and EPS growth for 2025.
Her statement underscores AMD’s strategic focus on innovation and expanding its market share in high-growth segments.
Future
AMD’s Q4 2024 earnings report presents a nuanced picture of the company’s performance. While it has achieved notable successes in certain areas, challenges remain, particularly in meeting data centre revenue expectations.
As AMD continues to navigate the competitive landscape of the semiconductor industry, its future strategies and market positioning will be closely watched by investors and analysts alike.
Qualcomm has introduced the Snapdragon X Plus 8-core processor, intensifying its venture into the AI PC market and challenging competitors like Intel and AMD
The U.S. semiconductor powerhouse announced that the Snapdragon X Plus 8-core targets PCs priced from $700, aiming to broaden its chip reach to additional devices.
Moreover, Qualcomm has enjoyed backing from Microsoft, which is incorporating Snapdragon processors in its Copilot+ PCs.
Qualcomm says the company is also working on mixed reality smart glasses with Samsung and Google.
Intel has divested its 1.18 million share stake in the British chip company Arm Holdings, according to a regulatory filing.
Intel is undergoing significant restructuring and cost-cutting to address competitive challenges in the semiconductor industry.
The recent transaction, disclosed on Tuesday 13th August 2024, is believed to have earned Intel approximately $147 million, based on Arm’s average share price between April and June 2024.
This move away from Arm occurs during a challenging financial phase for Intel, as it embarks on what CEO Pat Gelsinger reportedly describes as “the most extensive restructuring of Intel since the memory microprocessor transition four decades ago.”
In early August, Intel announced a cost-reduction plan designed to save $10 billion. This includes the layoff of about 15,000 employees, the elimination of the fiscal fourth-quarter dividend, and a reduction in capital expenditures.
At the same time, Intel disclosed quarterly figures that fell short of expectations and provided conservative guidance for the upcoming quarter.
This announcement precipitated the steepest single-day decline in Intel’s stock value in half a century, plummeting 26%.
Shares in the Dutch company ASML soared by around 10% on Wednesday 31st July 2024 following a Reuters report indicating that the firm might be exempt from the broadened export restrictions on chipmaking equipment to China.
Additionally, it was also reported that the U.S. is contemplating an expansion of the foreign direct product rule.
U.S. chip export restrictions to China could exclude allies such as the Netherlands, Japan, South Korea, Israel, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia. Taiwan is the home of TSMC, the world’s biggest chip manufacturing plant.
AMD
Shares of global semiconductor companies surged on Wednesday 31st July 2024, lifted by positive earnings within the sector and reports suggesting potential easing of U.S. export restrictions to China.
AMD emerged as one of the standout performers, with its shares climbing over 9% in U.S. premarket trading following a robust second-quarter earnings report.
Nvidia, traditionally recognised within the gaming community for its graphics chips, has become the world’s most valuable publicly traded company.
On Tuesday 18th June 2024, Nvidia’s shares rose by 3.6%, increasing its market cap to $3.34 trillion and overtaking Microsoft, now valued at $3.32 trillion. Earlier in the month, Nvidia’s valuation reached $3 trillion for the first time, surpassing Apple.
Nvidia $3.34 trillion market cap
Nvidia $3.34 trillion market cap
So far this year, Nvidia’s shares have surged over 170% and saw further gains after announcing first-quarter earnings in May 2024. Since the close of 2022, the stock has increased more than ninefold, paralleling the rise of generative artificial intelligence.
Apple’s shares dropped by 1.1% on Tuesday, resulting in a market value of $3.29 trillion for the tech giant.
Nvidia commands roughly 80% of the market share for AI chips in data centres, a sector that has expanded rapidly as companies like OpenAI, Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, and Meta have competed to acquire the necessary processors for constructing AI models and managing growing workloads.
In the latest quarter, Nvidia’s data centre business saw a 427% increase in revenue from the previous year, reaching $22.6 billion and comprising approximately 86% of the company’s total sales.
Established in 1991, Nvidia initially focused on hardware, selling gaming chips for running 3D games. The company has also ventured into cryptocurrency mining chips and cloud gaming services.
However, in the last two years, Nvidia’s stock has soared as investors recognised its pivotal role in the AI boom, a trend that continues to accelerate. This surge has increased the net worth of co-founder and CEO Jensen Huang to an estimated $117 billion, ranking him as the 11th richest individual globally, according to Forbes.
But is the rise too fast and is it time for a share price valuation adjustment in its meteoric rise, to bring it back down to Earth?
While Nvidia continues to dominate the AI chip market headlines, Infineon, a German semiconductor company, is also making waves.
Infineon is capitalizing on the AI surge, aiming to generate billions in revenue through the sale of premium chips.
As AI applications proliferate, encompassing data centre servers and integrated chipsets for PCs and mobile devices, the demand for AI chips is skyrocketing. This trend has only one direction, and that is up.
Infineon is certainly one to watch – it may just become the next major player in the industry.
The S&P 500 reached a new high as Nvidia surpassed the $3 trillion mark for the first time, and the anticipation of an interest rate cut grew due to softer-than-expected job data.
S&P 500 all-time high as of 5th June 2024
S&P 500 all-time high as of 5th June 2024
Similarly, the Nasdaq 100 and Nasdaq Composite achieved new record highs
Nasdaq 100 as of 5th June 2024
Nasdaq Comp as of 5th June 2024
AI boom catapults Nvidia passed Apple’s market cap’ valuation
Nvidia’s shares have surged 24% following its impressive earnings report in May, in contrast to Apple’s shares, which have increased by only 5% this year amid a slowdown in sales growth in recent months.
Nvidia one year share price as of 5th June 2024
Nvidia one year share price as of 5th June 2024
Nvidia Market Cap at $3.01 trillion as of 5th June 2024
Kneron, a startup specializing in artificial intelligence chips, unveiled its latest products on Wednesday 4th June 2024.
The company aims to exploit the growing world-wide interest in AI and provide an alternative to industry heavyweights such as Nvidia and AMD.
The company, headquartered in Taiwan and supported by American semiconductor leader Qualcomm and major iPhone assembler Foxconn, introduced the KNEO 330, its second-generation ‘edge GPT’ server.
GPT, short for generative pre-trained transformer, is an AI algorithm trained on vast datasets capable of generating text and images, with OpenAI’s ChatGPT being the world leader right now.
Intel announced its new Xeon 6 processors at the Computex tech conference in Taiwan on Tuesday 4th June 2024.
This announcement coincides with the recent launches of new artificial intelligence chips by rivals Nvidia and AMD on Sunday and Monday 2nd and 3rd June 2024 – as they compete for dominance in the rapidly growing industry.
Intel is making efforts to catch up with Nvidia and AMD, having been relatively absent from the AI surge that led tech giants such as Meta, Microsoft, and Google to purchase a significant number of Nvidia chips.
This comes half a year after Intel’s release of its 5th Gen Intel Xeon processors for data centre workloads and a couple of months following the announcement of the Gaudi 3 processor for AI model training and deployment.
Intel also disclosed that the Gaudi 2 and Gaudi 3 AI accelerators are priced lower than those of its competitors.
Furthermore, Intel shared architectural details of its forthcoming Lunar Lake processors, aimed at expanding the AI PC category. These processors, slated for release in the third quarter, are set to rival Nvidia’s and AMD’s offerings tailored for AI PCs.
While Nvidia and AMD focus on chip design, Intel stands out by both designing and manufacturing its chips. Nevertheless, Intel’s foundry business has faced challenges, with its operating loss widening to $7 billion in 2023 compared to the previous year.
AMD announced new artificial intelligence chips on Monday 3rd June 2024, aiming to position itself as a leader in the market alongside competitors such as Nvidia and Intel.
“AI is our number one priority and we’re at the beginning of an incredibly exciting time for the industry as AI transforms virtually every business, improves our quality of life, and reshapes every part of the computing market,” chair and CEO Lisa Su reportedly commented during the Computex tech conference.
The company unveiled the Ryzen AI 300 series for next-generation AI laptops. The line is anticipated to compete directly with Intel’s upcoming Lunar Lake and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X. And in partnership with Microsoft, these new AI chips will power laptops equipped with the tech giant’s AI chatbot Copilot.
AMD has unveiled the new Ryzen 9000 series for desktops, inferred as ‘the world’s fastest consumer PC processors’ for gaming and content creation.
The series is due for release in July 2024, following closely on the heels of AMD’s April announcement of new processors capable of running AI workloads – the Ryzen Pro 8040 for laptops and the Ryzen Pro 8000 for desktops.
Nvidia has revealed its latest generation of AI chips, coming just months after the release of its preceding model.
This rapid succession underscores the intense competition within the AI chip market and Nvidia’s relentless effort to maintain its leading position.
CEO Jensen Huang has now committed to unveiling new AI chip technology annually, accelerating the company’s prior biannual pace. The latest AI chip architecture, named ‘Rubin,’ is set to follow the ‘Blackwell’ model announced in March 2024, which is currently in production and anticipated to be delivered to customers the latter part of 2024.
Huang’s unveiling of the Rubin has seemingly hastened Nvidia’s already rapid AI chip development.
Nvidia has committed to launching new AI chip designs annually, a cadence Huang reportedly referred to as a ‘one-year rhythm‘ during his Sunday 2nd June 2024 announcement. Previously, the company was committed to updating its chips every two years. But such is the speed and fierce competition of AI development, that original decision has become quickly out-dated.
The swift transition from Blackwell to Rubin, taking less than three months, highlights the intense competition in the AI chip market and Nvidia’s race to maintain its leading position.
AMDÂ and Intel are two major competitors playing catch-up in the AI race.
NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) has experienced remarkable growth over the past decade.
Historical stock price trends
As of 10th May 2024, NVIDIA’s closing stock price stood at: $898.78
As of 10th May 2024, NVIDIA’s closing stock price stood at: $898.78
NVIDIA’s stock reached an all-time high of $950.02 on 25th March 2024. The 52-week high stands at $974.00, which is 9.7% higher than the current share price. Conversely, the 52-week low was $280.46, which is considerably below the current price.
Annual percentage changes
In 2024, the average stock price reached $763.29, marking a year-to-date rise of 79.30%.
In 2023, NVIDIA’s stock price experienced a remarkable surge of 239.02%.
Conversely, in 2022, the stock price witnessed a decline of 50.27%.
Throughout the past decade, the stock has undergone considerable volatility, exhibiting both notable gains and significant losses.
Focus
NVIDIA began as a pioneer in PC graphics and has since expanded its focus to artificial intelligence (AI) solutions. Its GPUs (graphics processing units) are pivotal in AI, high-performance computing (HPC), gaming, and virtual reality (VR) platforms.
The company’s parallel processing capabilities, powered by thousands of computing cores, are vital for executing deep learning algorithms. Additionally, NVIDIA is active in emerging markets such as robotics and autonomous vehicles.
Market position
NVIDIA holds a dominant position in the Data Centre, professional visualization, and gaming markets. Its success is bolstered by strategic partnerships with leading cloud service providers and server vendors.
Financial performance
NVIDIA’s revenue and profit have seen substantial growth over time. Its emphasis on AI and new technologies suggests a strong potential for further expansion. In summary, despite NVIDIA’s stock achieving impressive gains, it is still influenced by market trends and technological changes.
Its peak status hinges on multiple elements such as industry movements, competitive landscape, and upcoming innovations. Investors are advised to meticulously assess these factors when determining the stock’s future prospects.
Considering a long-term investment yet expecting a downturn, it might be prudent to realise some profits now, given the enormous 20,000% surge in stock value.
Arm, with a 90% holding by SoftBank, is reportedly set to establish an AI chip unit with the goal of developing a prototype by spring 2025.
This initiative is aimed at catching up with the booming AI market, currently dominated by Nvidia.
Arm, alongside competitors such as AMD, Intel, and Qualcomm, is accelerating efforts to gain position in the AI sector.
SoftBank is negotiating with contract manufacturers, including Taiwan’s TSMC, to produce the AI chips. Mass production is expected to commence in autumn 2025.
Arm’s shares have surged by nearly 45% this year, bringing its market capitalization to over $113 billion.
The chip designer based in the U.K., plans to create an AI chip unit to develop a prototype by spring 2025.
Discussions are reportedly ongoing with contract manufacturers like Taiwan’s TSMC for the production of the AI chips. It was reported that production is anticipated to start in fall 2025.
Arm is responsible for designing the core architecture for these chips. The company licences its designs to companies including Qualcomm and Nvidia and earning royalty fees from each sale. The company asserts that 99% of high-end smartphones utilize Arm technology.
Ambition
Established by Japanese billionaire Masayoshi Son, SoftBank is heavily investing in AI. The company has new plans to allocate $960 million by the following year to enhance its generative AI computing capabilities. In June 2023, Son expressed SoftBank’s ambition to occupy a leading role in the AI revolution.
Reportedly, SoftBank aims to establish AI data centres equipped with proprietary chips throughout the U.S., Europe, Asia, and the Middle East by 2026.
For the fiscal year concluding in March 2024, SoftBank recorded a 7.24 billion Japanese Yen ($4.6 billion) profit in its Vision Fund.
This was the first profitable year for the principal tech investment division since 2021.
UK chip designer Arm’s shares fell on Thursday 9th May 2024, subdued by revenue forecasts despite a strong sales quarter fueled by demand for AI applications.
Arm announced a 47% increase in fiscal Q4 revenue to $928 million on Wednesday.
This surge was propelled by its licensing business, which saw a 60% increase to $414 million for the quarter, attributed to several high-value licencing deals for AI chips.
Additionally, Arm’s royalty revenues rose 37% to $514 million year-over-year, thanks to the growing adoption of its new Armv9-based chips, which offer higher margins.
However, Arm’s revenue projection for 2025, estimated between $3.8 billion and $4.1 billion, did not meet investor expectations, with analysts anticipating $3.99 billion for the year.
What is Arm?
Contrary to chipmakers like Nvidia, which manufacture and market their own products, Arm creates the ‘architectures’ that form the foundation of chips.
These designs are then licenced to various chip manufacturers, including Qualcomm and Nvidia, with Arm earning royalties on each unit sold.
Originally founded in Cambridge, England, in 1990, Arm was an independent company listed in London until 2016, when it was acquired by Japanese tech investor SoftBank for $32 billion.
In September 2023, SoftBank listed Arm on the Nasdaq. Since its initial public offering, Arm’s share value has more than doubled, driven by the explosive demand for chips that power advanced generative AI applications, such as ChatGPT.
But this recent revenue forecast had a negative effect on its share price
Arm Holdings one year chart to 9th May 2024
The recent revenue forecast had a negative effect on its share price
Nvidia, manufacturer of one of the most advanced graphics processing units (GPUs), has significantly benefited from the artificial intelligence (AI) surge due to the high demand for its microchips.
The company’s shares have fallen 10% from their recent all-time high, which was over $950. On Tuesday, 9th April 2024, the stock closed at $853.54, but it saw a slight recovery on Wednesday 10th April 2024, to $870.39.
Nvidia Corporation share price off recent all time high
Nvidia Corporation share price off recent all time high
On Tuesday, 9th April 2024, Intel, a competitor in the chipmaking industry, introduced a new AI chip named Gaudi 3. This chip is designed to drive large language models and stands as a contender against Nvidia’s most sophisticated chips.
U.S. inflation data coming in higher than expected along with a climb in treasuries has led to doubts of a Fed rate cut anytime soon.
These concerns combined together, pushed Nvidia and some other tech stocks lower.
Intel’s stock dropped by 4% during extended trading on Tuesday 2nd April 2024, following the disclosure of long-anticipated financial details for its semiconductor manufacturing division, often referred to as the foundry business, in a filing with the SEC.
The company reportedly disclosed that its foundry business incurred an operating loss of $7 billion in 2023, against sales of $18.9 billion. This represents a greater loss compared to the $5.2 billion operating loss reported by Intel for its foundry business in 2022, which had sales of $27.5 billion.
This is the first time that Intel has disclosed revenue totals for its foundry business separately. Historically, Intel has both designed its own chips as well as its own manufacturing and reported microchip sales to investors.
Other American semiconductor companies such as Nvidia and AMD design their microchips but send them off to Asian factories such as Taiwan’s TSMC for manufacturing.
U.S. microchip giant Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) is investing in AI PCs to take on the likes of Nvidia and Intel and Arm as the AI race gains momentum.
As the AI market expands so too will AI powered personal computer (PC). These are personal computers embedded with processors specifically designed to perform AI functions such as real-time language translation. Intel has already announced its AI powered chip for the PC.
Tech research firm Canalys in a December report said the boom in generative AI is expected to boost PC sales as consumers are seeking devices with AI features, predicting that 60% of the PCs shipped in 2027 will be AI-capable.
AI tech interest explodes
An explosion of interest in AI was sparked by the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022 as the chatbot went viral for its ability to generate human-like responses to users’ prompts.
Microsoft was quick to adopt the Technolgy and incorporate AI into its Bing search engine. Other companies such as Amazon, Alphabet (Google), Arm, Meta, Tesla and Apple are all heavily involved in AI development too.
Intel’s new chip will go head-to-head with Nvidia and AMD
Intel unveiled new computer microchips on Thursday 14th December 2023, including Gaudi3, a chip for generative AI software.
Intel also announced Core Ultra chips, designed for Windows laptops and PCs, and new fifth-generation Xeon server chips. Intel’s server and PC processors include specialized AI parts called NPUs that can be used to run AI programs faster.
AI race
AI models, like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, run on Nvidia GPUs in the cloud. It’s one reason Nvidia stock has been up nearly 230% year to date while Intel shares have risen 68%. And it’s why companies like AMD and, now Intel, have announced chips that they hope will attract AI companies away from Nvidia’s dominant position in the market.
Gaudi3 will compete with Nvidia’s H100, the main choice among companies that build huge factories of the chips to power AI applications, and AMD’s forthcoming MI300X, when it starts shipping to customers in 2024.
CEO Gelsinger
‘We’ve been seeing the excitement with generative AI, the star of the show for 2023,’ Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger reportedly said at a launch event in New York where he announced Gaudi3 along other chips focused on AI applications.
Intel upping the anti with its Gaudi AI chip. The AI PC to become the new AI start of 2024 and beyond!
‘We think the AI PC will be the star of the show for the upcoming year,’ Gelsinger added. And that’s where Intel’s new Core Ultra processors, also announced on Thursday, will come into play.
Meta, OpenAI, and Microsoft said they will use AMD’s newest AI chip, the Instinct MI300X.
An indication that tech companies want alternatives to the expensive Nvidia graphics processors that have been essential for artificial intelligence (AI).
If the MI300X is good enough and inexpensive enough when it starts shipping early next year, it will likely lower costs for developing AI models.
AMD CEO Lisa Su projected the market for AI chips will amount to $400 billion or more in 2027, and she said she hopes AMD has a sizable part of that market.
Wall Street rallies on AMD and Google AI news
Wall Street resumed its rally after a short break as technology giants intensified their AI race, pushing up tech stocks.
When you witness Google launching a new AI model (Gemini) and AMD chasing a slice of the hot AI chip market, you know a pre-Christmas cheer will wash over investors.
To think, just a handful of years ago, other than in Science Fiction novels, the term ‘artificial intelligence’ didn’t exist in our vocabulary and now it is becoming more and more integrated with our day-to-day lives.
Stockmarkets love it. AI is fast becoming a business necessity and not just an option.
Wall Streets love affair with AI – how long will it last?
The curbs are aimed at closing loopholes that became apparent after the U.S. announced export curbs on microchips in October 2022. The restrictions are designed to prevent China’s military from importing advanced semiconductors or equipment.
Nvidia has said in a filing that the new export restrictions will block sales of two high-end artificial intelligence chips it created for the Chinese market – A800 and H800. It said that one of its gaming chips will also be blocked.
Nvidia Corp one month chart – closed at 439.38 17th October 2023
Although the curbs also affect other chip makers, analysts believe Nvidia will be hit the hardest because China accounts for up to 25% of its revenues from data centre chip sales. Nvidia’s shares, which are considered a star stock, fell by as much as 4.7% in the wake of the announcement.
Semiconductor Industry Association
The Semiconductor Industry Association, which represents 99% of the U.S. semiconductor industry by revenue, said in a statement that the new measures are ‘overly broad‘ and ‘risk harmingthe U.S. semiconductor structure without advancing national security as they encourage overseas customers to source elsewhere’.
China reacts
A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy also said that it ‘firmly opposes‘ the new restrictions, which also target Iran and Russia and go into effect in 30 days.
Nvidia stock falls after restrictions on AI chip exports from U.S. to China
Two months ago, China retaliated by restricting exports of two materials, gallium and germanium, which are key to the semiconductor industry.
The materials are ‘minor metals‘, meaning that they are not usually found on their own in nature, and are often the by-product of other processes. It’s not only the U.S., Japan and the Netherlands – which is home to key chip equipment maker ASML – have also imposed chip technology export restrictions on China.
Fallout
The constant ‘fall-out’ between the world’s two biggest economies has raised concerns over the rise of so-called ‘resource nationalism‘ – a practice where governments hoard critical materials to exert influence over other countries.
Chip design firm Arm on 5th September 2023 submitted an updated filing for its upcoming initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange, setting a price range between $47 and $51. Only 9.4% of Arm’s shares will be freely traded on the NYSE.
Arm was previously listed in London and New York, before SoftBank acquired it for $32 billion in 2016.
Chip design firm Arm on Tuesday is looking to acquire as much as $4.87 billion in its upcoming initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange, according to the new filing.
The deal could value the company at as much as $52 billion
As a British company, Arm qualifies as a foreign private issuer in the U.S. and its shares will count as American depositary shares, or ADS’s. It is reported that the company will list some 95.5 million ADS’s at a price range of between $47 and $51. At the upper end of that range it is estimated that Arm will likely raise up to $4.87 billion. At the lower end, the IPO would fetch $4.49 billion of fresh capital for Arm. It could do even better.
Institutional funds
When the company floats in New York, it will look to enjoy a very deep pool of professional institutional funds. Arm seeks to ramp up its investments in research and development, particularly as it pursues growth in the artificial intelligence (AI) space with some of its newer chips. The company recently released new chips specifically targeted at AI and machine learning use cases.
Arm seeks up to $52 billion valuation in U.S. IPO
Upper end
At the upper end of the pricing range, Arm would also touch a total valuation of $52 billion or more. Only 9.4% of Arm’s shares will be freely traded on the New York Stock Exchange, with SoftBank expected to own roughly 90.6% of the company’s outstanding shares after the completion of the IPO.
Arm’s listing is set to be the biggest technology IPO of the year. Investors are hoping that the listing could breathe new life into an IPO market that has been ‘slack’ since 2022.
250 billion chips globally
Arm says its energy-efficient processor designs and software platforms are integrated into more than 250 billion chips globally, into products ranging from sensors and smartphones to supercomputers.
The company estimates it enjoys approximately 48.9% share of the market for semiconductor design. Other players, such as Intel and AMD, have raced to catch up on designing their own chip architectures, but have struggled so far.
U.K. misses out… again
The U.K. government had originally hoped Arm would list on the London Stock Exchange, but the company instead dealt a major blow to Britain’s ambitions to become the leading global tech hub by opting for New York. The U.S. financial center has a deep institutional investor base and analysts who have a close understanding of the technology sector.
BIG interest
Chip design firm Arm said in a Tuesday filing that Apple, Google parent Alphabet, Nvidia and other technology companies are interested in buying up to $735 million in its shares as it seeks to go public on Nasdaq.
The investments might not happen, but the fact that these companies are considering them underlines the importance of Arm, whose designs are used for processors in data center servers, consumer devices and industrial products.
Arm chip – some 250 billion chips globally
Chip makers Intel, Samsung and TSMC are interested in investing alongside the three trillion-dollar technology companies, along with AMD and MediaTek, which make chip designs based on Arm architectures. Cadence Design Systems and Synopsys, which make electronic design automation software for processor development, have also expressed interest, according to a revised prospectus for Arm’s shares sale. This IPO could easily be the biggest of the 2023!
As part of the deal, Arm could wind up with a $52 billion market capitalization and almost $5 billion in new cash.
This is likely to be the biggest IPO of 2023
It is estimated that there will be about 19 billion devices using the Arm processor in the world by the end of 2023.
Arm target
The market share of Arm across different technology markets worldwide, which was 90% for mobile application processors, 34% for embedded computing, and 5% for data center and cloud in 2019.
Arm has a target of increasing its market share to more than 90%, 50%, and 25% respectively by 2028.
