Nvidia on Thursday said it will invest $5 billion in Intel , throwing its heft behind the struggling U.S. chip foundry, but stopped short of giving Intel a crucial manufacturing deal. ...

Well, there will be no jokes about Donald Trump's comically incompetent FBI director tonight on ABC because that corporate media giant decided to bend to the will of Donald Trump and Donald Trump's FCC commissioner who urged ABC to at least suspend Jimmy Kimmel because of something Jimmy Kimmel said about the reaction to the killing of Charlie Kirk. At 8:04 p. m., Donald Trump tweeted, "Great news for America. The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel show is cancelled. Congratulations to ABC for finally having t ...

Benchmark Electronics Conference Summary Company Overview - **Company**: Benchmark Electronics (NYSE: BHE) - **Event**: Sidoti Virtual Small Cap Conference - **Date**: September 17, 2025 Key Points Leadership Transition - David Muizidis is the incoming CEO, transitioning from Jeff Bank, who will remain as an advisor for an additional year post-retirement [5][6][60]. Growth Outlook - The company is optimistic about future growth, reporting a multiyear record high in bookings as of July [11][36]. - Focus on existing customers has been emphasized, with efforts to triple down on customer relationships leading to improved performance [12][21]. Sector Performance - **Medical Sector**: Recovery post-COVID with inventory clearing; quicker revenue realization expected from competitive takeaways [13][14]. - **Advanced Compute and Communication (ACC)**: Anticipated growth starting in Q4, driven by AI-related wins [15]. - **Aerospace and Defense (A&D)**: Strong performance noted, with continued growth in commercial air and defense sectors [16]. - **Industrial Sector**: Stabilization and growth observed, with strategic investments leading to competitive takeaways [17][18]. - **Semiconductor Capital Equipment**: Despite recent slowdowns, the company has gained market share and is well-positioned for future growth [19][20]. Competitive Landscape - Competes with tier one electronic manufacturing suppliers like Jabil, Flex, and Celestica, with a focus on maintaining market share and improving bookings [34][35][36]. - The company has successfully executed competitive takeaways through quality improvements and automation [31]. Tariff Impact - The company is well-positioned to manage tariff impacts through its global manufacturing footprint, allowing for proactive solutions for customers [39][40]. - Tariffs are generally passed on to customers, with minimal direct financial impact on the company [42]. AI and Hyperscale Engagement - The company is not directly engaging with hyperscalers but is involved in the broader AI ecosystem, leveraging capabilities in liquid cooling and semiconductor capital equipment [44][46]. - Recent wins in AI-related projects highlight the company's capabilities and strategic positioning [45][47]. Margin Improvement Drivers - Focus on complex products rather than commodity items has driven margin improvements [48]. - Optimized factory utilization and improved SG&A efficiencies are expected to contribute positively to margins as revenue normalizes [49]. Capital Allocation Strategy - Prioritization of dividends and stock buybacks, with potential for strategic acquisitions if they align with growth objectives [52][53]. - Emphasis on tuck-in acquisitions that enhance existing capabilities and customer relationships [54][55]. Inventory and Cash Flow Management - Significant improvements in cash flow and inventory management, with a goal of reducing inventory days [50][51]. - The company reported approximately $80 million in free cash flow over the last twelve months [51]. Future Outlook - The leadership team is focused on building upon the existing foundation and accelerating growth strategies [60][61]. - The company is enthusiastic about its future prospects and the talent within its leadership team [63][64].

Core Insights - Intel Corporation and Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. are leading semiconductor firms competing in the CPU market, focusing on AI and advanced chip technologies [1][3] - Intel is transitioning from a PC-centric business to data-centric sectors like AI and autonomous driving, with a strategy centered on foundry operations [1][4] - AMD has evolved from a consumer-PC chip provider to an enterprise-focused company, bolstered by its acquisition of Xilinx and a strong portfolio in embedded markets [2][7] Intel's Position - Intel is expanding its manufacturing capacity under the IDM 2.0 strategy, with investments in AI processing capabilities through its Xeon 6 processors [4][5] - The company has received $7.86 billion in funding from the U.S. Department of Commerce to support semiconductor manufacturing projects [5] - Despite its strengths, Intel faces challenges from market restrictions in China and competition from NVIDIA and AMD in the GPU and AI sectors [6][10] AMD's Position - AMD is enhancing its AI market presence with the MI300 series accelerators, which support large language model training and inference [7][8] - The company is leveraging 7-nanometer process technology to deliver advanced chips more rapidly, strengthening its position in the commercial and server markets [9][10] - AMD's sales are projected to rise by 26.9% in 2025, while Intel expects a revenue decline of 1.7% [8][11] Financial Performance - Intel's stock has gained 15.4% over the past year, while AMD has increased by 6.9%, compared to the industry's growth of 47.8% [13] - Intel's shares trade at a price/sales ratio of 2.02, significantly lower than AMD's 7.05, making Intel more attractive from a valuation standpoint [14] - Both companies expect earnings improvement in 2025, but AMD shows a healthier long-term earnings growth expectation of 27% compared to Intel's 7.1% [16]

Core Insights - Norton has partnered with Intel to enhance deepfake protection on Intel® Core™ Ultra processors, providing real-time detection against AI-powered scams for Norton 360 customers [1][3][10] - The new technology allows for immediate analysis of suspicious content directly on devices, improving user privacy and detection speed [6][7] Technology and Features - Norton Deepfake Protection utilizes advanced AI trained on a vast library of real-world scams, including financial fraud and crypto cons, to detect manipulations in video and audio content [5][8] - The solution operates without needing cloud connectivity, ensuring sensitive data remains private while enabling faster detection [6][7] Market Availability - The deepfake protection feature is currently available for YouTube and Facebook videos, with plans to support additional social media platforms in the future [10][11] - It is accessible in the US, UK, Australia, and New Zealand as part of Norton Genie Scam Protection and Scam Protection Pro in Norton 360 products [10]

Group 1 - Jim Cramer has highlighted Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD) as a stock to watch, noting its competitive position in the semiconductor industry against Intel and NVIDIA [2][3] - Cramer expressed optimism about AMD's progress, particularly under CEO Lisa Su, who has made strides in catching up with NVIDIA's lower-end AI GPUs, although he still views NVIDIA as the market leader [2][3] - Cramer admitted to regretting not investing in AMD earlier but acknowledged his successful investment in Broadcom, while recognizing AMD's recent extraordinary performance [3] Group 2 - The article suggests that while AMD shows potential as an investment, there are AI stocks that may offer higher returns with limited downside risk [3] - The mention of AMD's business model indicates its ability to compete effectively in the CPU, GPU, and custom chip markets, which is crucial for its growth strategy [2]

Core Viewpoint - Intel has completed the sale of a majority stake in Altera, which is expected to allow the company to focus on its core business and improve its financial position [1][4][6]. Financial Performance - Altera generated revenue of $816 million with a gross margin of 55% and operating expenses of $356 million in the first half of 2025 [1]. - In comparison, Altera's revenue was $454.4 million in Q4 2014, prior to Intel's acquisition [2]. Transaction Details - The sale involved Intel receiving $3.3 billion for a 51% stake in Altera, while retaining a 49% interest [4]. - The transaction officially closed on September 12, and Intel's accounting treatment for Altera will switch to the equity method post this date [4]. Cost Management - Intel has revised its non-GAAP operating expenses for 2025 to approximately $16.8 billion, down from a previous target of $17 billion [5]. - The company is undergoing a cost-cutting initiative, including significant layoffs and the outsourcing of marketing operations to Accenture [8][9]. Strategic Focus - The sale of Altera allows Intel to raise capital for its foundry ambitions and to divest from a non-core business [6]. - Intel aims to regain market share in the PC and server CPU sectors while also attracting customers for its foundry business [11][12]. Future Outlook - The success of Intel's upcoming chip processes, such as the Intel 18A and 14A, will be critical for the company's recovery and growth [12]. - The divestiture of Altera is seen as a positive step, allowing Intel to concentrate on its core operations and strategic goals [14].

Group 1 - The FormulaOne benchmark test reveals the limitations of top AI models, with GPT-5 achieving only about 4% accuracy on advanced questions and scoring zero on the most difficult problems [1][6][19] - The benchmark, developed by AAI, aims to measure algorithmic reasoning depth beyond competitive programming, focusing on real-world optimization problems [8][15] - The test consists of 220 novel graph-based dynamic programming problems categorized into three levels of difficulty: shallow, deeper, and deepest [16][18] Group 2 - AAI was founded by Amnon Shashua, co-founder of Mobileye, and focuses on AI research and development [10][11] - The benchmark's problems are designed to be easily understandable but require significant creativity and deep reasoning to solve [19][22] - The challenges presented in the deepest level of the benchmark highlight the gap between current AI capabilities and the reasoning required for complex real-world problems [25][30]

The cost-cutting stage of the Lip-Bu Tan era continues, and is likely nearing its conclusion.Shares of Intel (INTC 3.03%) rallied on Monday, rising as much as 5.7% before retreating to a 3.8% gain as of 12:08 p.m. ET.Intel has been a controversial turnaround play in the semiconductor industry for a few years, and is currently pinning its hopes on the strategy of new CEO Lip-Bu Tan, who was hired in March.Today, Intel disclosed some mildly positive news on the cost-cutting front. Given its low valuation, it ...

About this content About Emily Jarvie Emily began her career as a political journalist for Australian Community Media in Hobart, Tasmania. After she relocated to Toronto, Canada, she reported on business, legal, and scientific developments in the emerging psychedelics sector before joining Proactive in 2022. She brings a strong journalism background with her work featured in newspapers, magazines, and digital publications across Australia, Europe, and North America, including The Examiner, The Advocate, ...