Top Companies' AI Moves

Today's Stories

1. 1

   Micron surges 240% in Q2 as AI memory demand outpaces supply

   Micron Technology's shares returned more than 240% in the second quarter of 2026 after the company released results showing stronger pricing, improving demand, and a more constructive outlook. The semiconductor maker was added to the Janus Henderson Global Sustainable Equity Fund's portfolio toward the end of 2025. Micron's gains reflect the growing strategic importance of memory to AI infrastructure buildout. Demand for memory is outpacing industry supply additions, driven by high-bandwidth memory for AI accelerators, agentic workloads, and data caching. Long-term customer agreements may improve earnings visibility and reduce cyclicality—a meaningful shift for a historically volatile sector.

   Micron closed at $904.28 per share on July 15, 2026, with a market capitalization of $1.02 trillion（約160兆円）, though shares fell 22.62% over the one-month period. The company's energy-efficient memory products that enable higher performance and lower power consumption will be key to sustaining demand from AI workloads.

2. 2

   3 AI stocks outpacing Nvidia's 11% gain in 2024

   Three AI infrastructure stocks—Monolithic Power Systems (up over 40% year to date), Astera Labs, and a third unnamed company—have outperformed Nvidia's 11% year-to-date return. Monolithic Power Systems' revenue grew 26.1% year over year in Q1, with its enterprise data segment nearly doubling; Astera Labs nearly doubled sales year over year in its first quarter. These companies provide critical support infrastructure for AI data centers—power management systems, cooling solutions, and rack-scale connectivity hardware—that hyperscalers depend on to run AI chips reliably at scale. As demand for AI infrastructure builds out, these niche suppliers may see accelerating revenue growth and position themselves to outperform broader semiconductor plays.

   Monolithic Power Systems' enterprise data and communications segments (which together drive most growth) and Astera Labs' sequential revenue momentum; the article suggests double-digit sequential growth in AI hardware has historically preceded sharp stock rallies, as it did for Micron.

3. 3

   Wells Fargo launches AI Teammate tool for financial advisers

   Wells Fargo has launched "AI Teammate," an AI-powered chat tool integrated into its Advisor Gateway platform, designed to help financial advisers streamline research, client communication, and workflow tasks. The tool reflects Wells Fargo's shift toward applying AI to internal advisory operations rather than consumer-facing features. By automating routine analysis and communication, AI Teammate could free advisers to focus on higher-value client work and potentially improve client retention—a key measure of adviser productivity that investors watch.

   Future disclosure of adviser adoption rates, any productivity metrics Wells Fargo reports, and management commentary on client satisfaction with the Advisor Gateway platform will signal whether the tool delivers on its efficiency promise.

4. 4

   Walmart, Amazon, Tesco lead retail AI scaling with billions in automation

   Major retailers including Walmart, Amazon, Home Depot, Tesco, and Kroger are deploying AI at enterprise scale across inventory, supply chain, customer service, and automation. Walmart operates over 10,750 stores and serves 255 million customers weekly; Amazon generated $638 billion（約100兆円） in 2024 revenue; Home Depot reported $159.5 billion（約26兆円） in fiscal 2024 revenue. According to IDC Retail Insights, as AI becomes widely available, competitive advantage disappears if companies rely on the same models and datasets. Long-term success now depends on building unique strengths through trusted data, proprietary business processes, and skilled employees rather than AI tools alone.

   IDC expects next-generation retail platforms to use multilevel AI agents and orchestration technologies for product search and discovery. For smaller retailers, the firm recommends prioritizing strong operational data foundations, selecting technologies for specific business challenges, and partnering with established vendors rather than attempting expensive experiments.

5. 5

   GE Vernova commits $11B to AI power capex through 2028

   GE Vernova plans to spend US$11 billion（約1.8兆円） on capital expenditure and R&D through 2028 focused on AI-related power and grid opportunities, ahead of its 22 July 2026 earnings release. The company's Power and Electrification segments show strong anticipated results driven by AI data center power demand and a growing backlog, though its Wind business continues to face project delays and supply-chain issues. The investment bet directly links GE Vernova's growth strategy to the surge in electricity demand from AI data centers, which many investors see as a durable tailwind for high-margin infrastructure orders. However, execution risk on large, complex grid and wind projects remains the biggest threat—cancellations or delays could quickly destabilize the bullish narrative if customer needs or project economics shift.

   The 22 July 2026 earnings will be critical; analysts expect it to confirm revenue and margin strength in Power and Electrification. Some cautious analysts project GE Vernova earnings could fall to about US$6.0 billion（約9600億円） by 2029 even as the backlog grows, suggesting significant disagreement on whether AI-driven demand will fully support the company's growth targets.

6. 6

   Wells Fargo launches AI Teammate for financial advisers

   Wells Fargo deployed AI Teammate, an AI-powered chat tool that connects financial advisers, support teams, and client associates to the bank's Advisor Gateway platform on July 15, 2026. Users can query the system in plain language to access product information, workflows, and process summaries. The tool is designed to reduce the time employees spend searching for information and navigating resources, freeing advisers to focus on client advice. Wells Fargo has invested more than $1 billion（約1600億円） in modernizing its technology platform over recent years, and AI Teammate represents one payoff of that effort—CEO Charlie Scharf noted such investments are improving productivity and strengthening client experience.

   In the short time AI Teammate has been available, users have created thousands of prompts and hundreds of conversations, suggesting early adoption. The bank is part of a broader banking trend: Citigroup piloted Spaces in January, and Bank of America launched its AI-Powered Meeting Journey in March.