AI Stocks & Markets

Today's Stories

1. 1

   Texas Instruments: An AI Beneficiary, But Not Cheap Enough To Buy (NASDAQ:TXN)

   Texas Instruments: An AI Beneficiary, But Not Cheap Enough To Buy (NASDAQ:TXN)

2. 2

   Why AMD Stock Could Hit $615: Inside Wells Fargo's Latest AI Price Target Upgrade

   Why AMD Stock Could Hit $615: Inside Wells Fargo's Latest AI Price Target Upgrade

3. 3

   Wells Fargo Lifts S&P 500 Earnings Forecast to 22% on AI Spending Boom

   Wells Fargo projects S&P 500 earnings per share will grow 22% year-over-year in the second quarter, up from 19% growth in the first quarter. The bank expects companies tied to AI infrastructure—semiconductor makers, technology hardware firms, capital equipment suppliers, and utilities—to contribute more than half of the index's overall earnings growth. AI infrastructure spending is proving durable enough to lift broad market earnings. However, Wells Fargo notes that large cloud computing companies (hyperscalers) are investing heavily in AI without delivering immediate returns to shareholders, which has weighed on investor sentiment toward those firms. The widening gap between hyperscalers and the broader market signals investor appetite for clearer payoff timelines.

   Wells Fargo suggests that larger share repurchases or dividends, paired with disciplined AI investment, could help improve confidence in technology stocks. The question now is whether hyperscalers can demonstrate faster returns on their AI capital spending.

4. 4

   Qualcomm aims for $15B data center revenue by 2029, targets AI inference boom

   Qualcomm revealed at its Investor Day 2026 that it expects at least $15 billion（約2.4兆円） in data center revenue by fiscal 2029, offering custom AI processors and inference-focused chips. The company has already secured Meta Platforms as a customer, which will deploy Qualcomm's Dragonfly C1000 server CPU starting this year under a multi-generation agreement. As AI compute workloads in data centers shift toward inference—expected to account for two-thirds of AI-focused computational workloads this year, up from 50% in 2025—demand for cost-effective inference chips is surging. Qualcomm's entry into this fast-growing market could supercharge its earnings: the company estimates earnings per share could exceed $18.00 in fiscal 2029, suggesting annual earnings growth of 18.5% over three years, compared with a projected 10% earnings drop in fiscal 2026.

   Qualcomm currently trades at just 17 times forward earnings and 4.6 times sales, compared with Broadcom at 61 times earnings and 24 times sales, and Nvidia at 30 times earnings and 18.6 times sales. If Qualcomm reaches $18.00 earnings per share in fiscal 2029 and trades at 26.3 times earnings (in line with the Nasdaq-100 forward multiple), its stock price could reach $473, representing potential upside of 150% from current levels.

5. 5

   AI Chip Startup Etched Raises $800M, Plans Summer Shipping

   Etched, an AI chip startup founded in 2022, has raised $800 million（約1300億円） in total funding. The company disclosed that a $500 million（約800億円） round closed in December was led by Stripes, and Jane Street has invested more than $100 million（約160億円） across multiple rounds. Etched plans to begin shipping chips to some customers this summer and has signed $1 billion（約1600億円） in sales contracts. The funding reflects investor confidence in alternatives to Nvidia for AI inference—the step where AI systems produce answers. Etched's full-stack approach (designing servers, circuit boards, cooling, and networking around its chips) positions it to serve customers as the industry shifts from training AI models to running them at scale. Backers include prominent AI researchers Geoffrey Hinton and Fei-Fei Li, as well as trading and hedge fund investors, signaling cross-sector confidence in the company.

   Etched is working with TSMC on low-voltage inference technology and plans to ship this summer. The company has not disclosed customer names, so announcement of its first commercial deployments will be a key milestone.

6. 6

   Nvidia and Palantir team on sovereign AI for U.S. government

   Nvidia and Palantir announced a collaboration to deliver secure, sovereign AI infrastructure for U.S. government and critical industries. The partnership centers on Nvidia's open-source Nemotron models and Palantir's AIP platform, designed for classified and highly regulated environments with strict data control and full traceability of AI workflows. Nvidia is extending its AI platform into sensitive public sector and infrastructure settings, a new dimension for how its technology can be used in mission-critical contexts. This positions the company more directly in secure AI for government and critical infrastructure, which could influence how investors assess the durability of Nvidia's AI demand.

   Investors should monitor how much of this sovereign AI effort converts into concrete contracts with U.S. government agencies and regulated industries, as well as any commentary on data center demand and Nemotron model adoption in future Nvidia company updates.