NEW YORK, Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pico, a leading global provider of technology services, software, data and analytics for financial markets, today announced a strategic collaboration with AMD that highlights its ongoing commitment to innovation. The integration of high-performance AMD enterprise solutions expands Pico’s hardware ecosystem, allowing clients to leverage the latest technologies and remain competitive in rapidly evolving markets. AMD compute technologies integrated across Pico’s prod ...

Group 1: Market Movements - Dow futures decreased by 0.01%, S&P 500 futures fell by 0.03%, while Nasdaq futures increased by 0.02% [1] Group 2: Precious Metals - Spot gold fell below $3,900 per ounce for the first time since October 6, dropping over 2% in a day, currently reported at $3,893 per ounce. Analysts from Metals Focus indicated that ongoing economic uncertainty remains the primary support for gold prices [2] Group 3: Energy Sector - NextEra and Google announced a milestone agreement to restart the Duane Arnold Energy Center in Iowa, the state's only nuclear facility, with a planned full operation resumption in Q1 2029, pending regulatory approval [3] Group 4: Banking Sector - HSBC Holdings saw a nearly 3% increase in pre-market trading after raising its full-year net interest income forecast for banking operations to $43 billion or higher, reflecting increased confidence in recent policy interest rate trends in key markets [4] Group 5: Technology Sector - Qorvo's stock rose over 10% following reports that Apple supplier Skyworks is in talks to acquire the company for $8 billion [5] - Qualcomm announced the launch of AI chips, the AI200 and AI250, aiming to challenge Nvidia, and plans to release a new computing chip annually, following the product release cadence of Nvidia and AMD [6] Group 6: Employment Trends - Amazon is expected to initiate a large-scale layoff plan affecting approximately 30,000 positions, which represents nearly 10% of its workforce, with notifications to employees anticipated on October 28 [7] Group 7: Market Sentiment - ARK Invest CEO Cathie Wood expressed that she does not believe there is a bubble in the AI market, asserting that the valuations of large tech companies remain meaningful in the long term, while also emphasizing the need for a "reality check" on AI valuations [8]

Group 1 - Qualcomm is entering the AI data center market with new chips, AI200 and AI250, aiming to challenge Nvidia's dominance [5] - Sequoia Capital led a $750 million investment in Rogo Technologies, a startup developing AI tools to replace junior bankers, doubling its valuation since earlier this year [6] - AI startup Mercor raised $350 million at a $10 billion valuation, with plans to enhance talent acquisition, upgrade matching systems, and improve service delivery speed [7] Group 2 - Baidu's AI glasses, "Xiao Du AI Glasses," will be available for pre-sale on November 1, featuring capabilities like photography, AI translation, and AI recording [8] - Microsoft is facing a lawsuit in Australia for allegedly misleading consumers about price increases for Microsoft 365 subscriptions related to the introduction of AI Copilot, with significant price hikes noted [10] - The U.S. Department of Energy and AMD have established a $1 billion partnership to build two supercomputers aimed at addressing various scientific challenges, including nuclear energy and drug development [11]

Core Viewpoint - The investment in the startup Moore Threads by Heertai has significantly boosted the company's stock price, with a nearly twofold increase over the year following the investment, highlighting the potential of domestic GPU companies in China [3][25]. Group 1: Investment and Market Performance - Heertai participated in the early investment rounds of Moore Threads, which has now completed its IPO counseling and is expected to become the "first domestic GPU stock" [3][25]. - Moore Threads' stock experienced rapid growth, achieving three consecutive daily limits and prompting a stock price increase of nearly 100% within a year [3]. - The valuation of Moore Threads reached 29.845 billion yuan before its IPO, with 82 shareholders, while Muxi Co. had a valuation of 21.071 billion yuan with 124 shareholders [25]. Group 2: Company Background and Leadership - Moore Threads was founded in June 2020 and quickly became a unicorn, raising tens of billions in its Pre-A round within just a few months [8]. - The founder, Zhang Jianzhong, has a strong background in the GPU industry, having worked at NVIDIA for 14 years, significantly increasing NVIDIA's market share in China [6][7]. - The leadership team of Moore Threads has extensive experience in the GPU sector, with many members previously employed at NVIDIA [12][21]. Group 3: Product Development and Market Strategy - Moore Threads aims to become the "Chinese version of NVIDIA," offering a full range of GPU products for both consumer and enterprise markets [28]. - The company has launched several generations of GPU architecture chips and plans to release its own "CUDA" architecture named "MUSA," which is compatible with NVIDIA's ecosystem [32][36]. - Muxi Co. focuses on AI training and inference, with a product matrix that includes various GPU products for different applications [28]. Group 4: Financial Performance and Projections - Moore Threads reported a compound annual growth rate of 208.44% in revenue from 2022 to 2024, with revenues of 0.46 billion yuan, 1.24 billion yuan, and 4.38 billion yuan respectively [32]. - Muxi Co. expects a revenue increase of 437.36% to 464.23% for the first nine months of the current year and aims to achieve breakeven by 2026 [35]. - Both companies are currently in a high-investment phase, with R&D expense ratios of 310% for Moore Threads and 121% for Muxi Co., indicating they are in a cash-burning stage [39]. Group 5: Market Challenges and Customer Dependency - Both companies face significant challenges in competing with established players like NVIDIA and AMD, with Moore Threads currently holding less than 1% market share in the domestic GPU market [36]. - Moore Threads relies heavily on a few major customers, with the top five contributing 98.29% of its revenue, indicating a high customer concentration risk [37]. - The companies are positioned in a high-demand market for GPUs, particularly in the AI sector, but they must navigate the challenges of high investment and dependency on a limited customer base [39][40].

Core Insights - The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and AMD are collaborating to invest $1 billion in building two new supercomputers, Lux and Discovery, at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee [1][3] - Lux is set to be the first AI factory in the U.S. focused on science, energy, and national security, designed to train and deploy AI foundational models [3] - Discovery will enhance performance and energy efficiency based on the Frontier supercomputer technology, supporting various scientific research fields [1][3] Investment and Development - The investment of $1 billion will fund the construction of Lux and Discovery, with Lux expected to be operational by early 2026 and Discovery by 2029 [1] - The development of these supercomputers will leverage the technology from the Frontier supercomputer, which was the first to achieve Exascale computing but was surpassed by El Capitan [1] Technical Specifications - Discovery will feature a "ubiquitous bandwidth" design, improving performance and energy efficiency while maintaining similar costs [1] - Lux will be optimized for data-intensive and model-centric workloads, supporting large-scale AI training and distributed inference [3] Collaboration and Infrastructure - The execution of this collaboration will involve Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) [5] - HPE will provide ProLiant Compute XD685 servers, with Lux incorporating AMD Instinct MI355X GPUs, AMD EPYC CPUs, and AMD Pensando advanced networking technology [5]

Core Insights - The U.S. Department of Energy has partnered with AMD to develop two supercomputers for tackling significant scientific challenges, including nuclear energy, cancer treatment, and national security, with a total investment of $1 billion [1] - The first supercomputer, named Lux, is expected to be operational within six months and will utilize AMD's MI355X AI chips, achieving three times the AI computing power of existing supercomputers [3][4] - The second supercomputer, Discovery, will be based on AMD's MI430 series AI chips and is projected to be delivered in 2028 and operational by 2029 [5] Group 1 - The collaboration aims to ensure the U.S. has sufficient supercomputing capabilities to handle increasingly complex experiments requiring massive data processing [1] - The supercomputers will significantly accelerate advancements in nuclear fusion technology, national defense, and drug development [1] - The deployment of Lux is noted to be the fastest among similar class supercomputers, emphasizing the speed and agility sought in the U.S. AI initiative [3][6] Group 2 - The U.S. Department of Energy will oversee the deployment of the supercomputers, while AMD and other partners will provide the necessary equipment and capital expenditures [6] - The MI430 chip is a specialized variant of the MI400 series, combining key features of traditional supercomputer chips with capabilities for running AI applications [6] - The partnership is intended to serve as a model for future collaborations between U.S. Department of Energy laboratories and private enterprises [6]

Investment Rating - The report maintains a positive investment rating for the semiconductor equipment industry, highlighting growth opportunities driven by AI applications and advanced logic and memory technology upgrades [5]. Core Insights - The global semiconductor equipment market is projected to reach a record $125.5 billion by 2025, driven by capacity expansion for AI applications and technology iterations across various segments [1][11]. - China is expected to lead global spending on 300mm equipment, with an investment of $94 billion from 2026 to 2028, supported by national policies [17]. - AI applications are significantly boosting demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and NAND flash storage, with the overall revenue for AI semiconductors expected to grow from $8.2 billion to $41.3 billion from 2020 to 2030, at a CAGR of 24.4% [22][46]. Summary by Sections 1. Semiconductor Process Upgrades and AI-Driven Capital Expenditure - The semiconductor equipment market is expected to grow, with global spending on 300mm wafer fab equipment projected to exceed $100 billion for the first time in 2025, reaching $107 billion [10]. - AI applications are driving continuous growth in capital expenditure, with data center investments expected to rise from $17 billion in 2020 to $45.3 billion by 2028 [20]. - Advanced logic processes have progressed to the 2nm node, necessitating upgrades in equipment such as etching and deposition tools [26]. 2. AI Applications Driving Storage Demand Growth - The reduction in DDR4 production has led to a continuous increase in storage prices, with DDR4 prices expected to rise significantly due to supply constraints [35][36]. - High-end storage technologies are evolving, with 3D NAND layer counts expected to reach around 1000 layers, enhancing storage density [47]. - The demand for enterprise-grade SSDs is surging as AI models require efficient data storage solutions, with NAND storage demand projected to grow approximately 15% from 2024 to 2029 [46][56]. 3. Supply Chain Security and Self-Sufficiency - The report highlights the challenges in acquiring advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment from overseas, with the U.S. proposing broader bans on sales to China [57]. - Domestic semiconductor manufacturers are expected to gain market share due to supply constraints faced by international competitors, with companies like Changxin Technology projected to increase production capacity significantly [59]. - The focus on self-sufficiency in semiconductor equipment is emphasized, with companies like North Huachuang expanding their product offerings in etching and deposition equipment [60].

Core Viewpoint - AMD is developing an Arm-based APU codenamed "Sound Wave," expected to be released late next year, indicating a strategic shift towards mobile applications and energy efficiency [3][7]. Group 1: Product Development - AMD's "Sound Wave" APU will feature a compact 32mm x 27mm BGA package, six CPU cores (two P-cores and four E-cores), and an RDNA architecture GPU, targeting mobile applications [3]. - The company has been shipping circuit boards to evaluate electrical characteristics, suggesting progress in development [3]. Group 2: Market Positioning - AMD has been competing in the PC/server market against Intel, but is now looking to expand its market share in the mobile sector by integrating Arm architecture into its CPUs [3]. - The company has a history of developing Arm-based CPUs, including the A1100 server CPU, but faced challenges in gaining market acceptance [5][6]. Group 3: Historical Context - AMD's previous attempts to enter the Arm market included the K12 project, which was ultimately canceled in favor of focusing on the Zen architecture to regain dominance in the x86 market [6]. - The landscape has changed significantly over the past decade, with a shift in technological innovation from CPUs to GPUs, and AMD now has the financial capability to develop both architectures simultaneously [6]. Group 4: Competitive Landscape - The recent collaboration between NVIDIA and Intel in the x86 market raises questions about AMD's strategy as it prepares to enter the Arm CPU market dominated by NVIDIA and Qualcomm [6]. - AMD's potential entry into the Arm space could disrupt the current market dynamics, especially given the evolving technological landscape [6][7].

Core Insights - AMD is collaborating with the U.S. Department of Energy to develop two supercomputers, named "Lux" and "Discovery," aimed at advancing energy and scientific research [1][2] - The total public-private investment for this project will reach $1 billion, with partners including HPE and Oracle's cloud infrastructure division [1] - The supercomputers will utilize AMD's AI chips and are expected to enhance nuclear reactor modeling, accelerate approval processes, and support advancements in fusion energy and quantum computing [1][2] Investment and Strategic Goals - This collaboration aligns with the AI Action Plan released by the Trump administration, emphasizing federal support for research in artificial intelligence [2] - AMD's CEO highlighted that "Lux" and "Discovery" will become some of the most energy-efficient computing platforms globally, facilitating AI data sharing and model training for researchers across the U.S. [2] - The project aims to maintain U.S. leadership in critical technology fields through scientific discovery and open collaboration [2] Project Timeline and Specifications - "Lux" is scheduled to be operational by early next year, featuring AMD's MI355X chip, while "Discovery" will utilize the MI430X processor and is expected to be completed by 2028 [2]

Core Insights - AMD has entered a $1 billion partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy to develop two supercomputers aimed at advancing research in nuclear energy, cancer treatment, and national security [3][4][9] - The first supercomputer, named Lux, is set to be operational within six months and will utilize AMD's MI355X AI chip, providing approximately three times the AI computing power of current supercomputers [6][7] - The second supercomputer, Discovery, is expected to be delivered in 2028 and operational by 2029, utilizing the more advanced MI430 series AI chips [8] Group 1: Supercomputer Development - The first supercomputer, Lux, will be developed in collaboration with various partners including HP and Oracle's cloud infrastructure, and is designed to enhance computational capabilities for complex scientific experiments [6][8] - Discovery, the second supercomputer, will be designed for high-performance computing and is expected to significantly improve performance, although specific metrics on its computing power increase are not yet available [8] Group 2: Applications and Impact - The supercomputers will focus on critical areas such as fusion energy, where scientists aim to replicate solar reactions to release energy, and in the medical field for accelerating drug discovery through molecular-level simulations [9] - The U.S. Department of Energy emphasizes the importance of these systems in ensuring sufficient computational power to handle increasingly complex data requirements in scientific research [3][4] Group 3: Market Reaction - Following the announcement of the partnership, AMD's stock experienced a notable increase, rising nearly 2.7% and reaching a new closing high, indicating positive market sentiment towards the collaboration [4]