Core Insights - Both Iren and Applied Digital have transitioned from the crypto industry to focus on AI and high-performance computing, each adopting different strategies to capture AI-related business opportunities [2][5] Company Overview: Iren - Iren's stock has increased over 400% in the past year, with a current market cap of $20 billion and a high forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of around 50 [4] - The company recently secured a $9.7 billion AI cloud contract with Microsoft, leading to a significant improvement in net income from a loss of $51.7 million in Q1 of the previous fiscal year to a gain of $384.6 million in Q1 of fiscal 2026 [4][3] - Iren retains flexibility by operating in both crypto and high-performance computing, allowing it to adapt based on market demand [3] Company Overview: Applied Digital - Applied Digital's stock has surged over 500% in the past year, with a current market cap of $11 billion and a gross margin of 16.40% [6][7] - The company reported a 250% increase in revenue in its latest quarter, benefiting from multibillion-dollar leases with hyperscalers and a backlog of $16 billion [7] - Applied Digital focuses on building high-performance data centers and offering long-term leases, which provides predictable cash flows [5] Investment Considerations - Investors seeking cash flow predictability may find Applied Digital more appealing due to its stable revenue from contracts [8] - Iren offers optionality and upside potential but comes with higher volatility due to the cyclical nature of crypto and uncertainties in the AI compute market [8][9] - Both companies have shown significant returns driven by positive sentiment towards AI infrastructure, but they are not considered low-risk investments [9]

Core Insights - Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC) reported strong quarterly results and an optimistic outlook, with shares increasing approximately 70% over the past year [2] Financial Performance - TSMC's Q4 revenue increased nearly 26% to $33.7 billion, with earnings per American depositary receipt (ADR) rising 40% to $3.14 from $2.24 a year ago [6] - The company's gross margin expanded by 330 basis points to 62.3%, while operating margins rose by 500 basis points to 54%, exceeding prior forecasts [7] Demand and Growth Drivers - There is an insatiable demand for AI chips, leading TSMC to project capital expenditures (capex) for this year between $52 billion and $56 billion, significantly above analyst expectations of nearly $41 billion for 2026 [3] - High-performance computing (HPC) accounted for 55% of TSMC's revenue in the quarter and 58% for the full year, with HPC revenue climbing 48% in 2025 [5] Market Position - TSMC maintains a near-monopoly in the production of advanced process nodes, with nodes of 7 nanometers and under accounting for 77% of its revenue, up from 74% a year ago [4] - The company's newest 3-nm technology contributed 28% to total wafer revenue, increasing from 26% a year ago [4]

Core Scientific Inc. (NASDAQ:CORZ) is one of the best cryptocurrency and blockchain stocks to buy now. On January 6, BTIG upgraded Core Scientific Inc. (NASDAQ:CORZ) to a Buy from a Neutral and maintained a $23 price target. BTIG Upgrades Core Scientific Inc. (CORZ) amid Undervaluation Concerns and HPC Colocation Contracts Expectations Image by Лечение Наркомании from Pixabay The upgrade comes as the stock has underperformed its peers that have significant exposure to artificial intelligence computing c ...

Core Viewpoint - Envirotech Vehicles, Inc. (EVTV) has entered into an Amended and Restated Letter of Intent (LOI) with AZIO AI Corporation for a merger transaction, with a proposed acquisition price of $3.00 per share, subject to independent third-party valuation [1][6]. Transaction Framework - The LOI establishes a framework for AZIO AI to become a wholly owned subsidiary of EVTV, indicating a potential strategic transformation for EVTV towards advanced artificial intelligence infrastructure and high-performance computing [3]. - The transaction is structured as a statutory merger, where a newly formed subsidiary of EVTV will merge into AZIO AI, with AZIO AI continuing as the surviving entity [4]. Shareholder Considerations - AZIO AI shareholders are expected to receive equity consideration in EVTV equity securities, with the final structure and allocation to be determined in the definitive agreement [5]. - The LOI assumes an enterprise value for AZIO AI of $480 million, with an agreed reference value of $3.00 per share of EVTV common stock [6]. Leadership Changes - Upon completion of the merger, Chris Young, the CEO of AZIO AI, is expected to be appointed as the CEO of EVTV [7]. Strategic Intent - The transaction reflects a disciplined approach to advancing EVTV's strategic evolution, aligning the company with a scaled AI infrastructure platform and an experienced technology leadership team [8].

Core Insights - Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) is valued at a market cap of $363.8 billion and specializes in high-performance processors and graphics solutions across various markets, including PCs, gaming, data centers, artificial intelligence, and embedded systems [1] Financial Performance Expectations - Analysts anticipate AMD will report a profit of $1.10 per share for fiscal Q4 2025, reflecting a 25% increase from $0.88 per share in the same quarter last year [2] - For the current fiscal year ending in December, AMD is expected to report a profit of $3.12 per share, a 19.1% increase from $2.62 per share in fiscal 2024, with further growth projected to $5.43 per share in fiscal 2026, representing a 74% year-over-year increase [3] Stock Performance and Market Sentiment - AMD's stock has increased by 76.3% over the past 52 weeks, significantly outperforming the S&P 500 Index's 16.2% rise and the State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF's 22.7% increase during the same period [4] - On January 2, AMD shares surged 4.4% due to positive investor sentiment driven by bullish analyst forecasts and expectations of new product launches, with some analysts projecting a 32% upside by 2026 [5] Analyst Ratings and Price Targets - Wall Street analysts maintain a "Moderate Buy" rating for AMD, with 29 out of 44 analysts recommending "Strong Buy," 3 suggesting "Moderate Buy," and 12 advising "Hold" ratings [6] - The mean price target for AMD is set at $285.05, indicating a potential upside of 28.9% from current levels [6]

Industry Overview - Semiconductor stocks have rallied significantly in 2025, with the iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) increasing by 43% year to date despite market volatility caused by tariffs, inflation, high interest rates, and geopolitical issues [1] - The momentum is expected to continue into 2026, driven by rising investments in artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing infrastructure, with global semiconductor sales projected to surge by 26.3% year over year to $975.4 billion [2] AI as a Growth Catalyst - AI is identified as the most important catalyst for semiconductor demand, with cloud service providers and enterprises increasing investments in AI training and inference workloads, leading to higher demand for GPUs, custom accelerators, memory, networking components, and power solutions [3] Investment Opportunities - Companies such as NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA), Micron Technology, Inc. (MU), and Amphenol Corporation (APH) are positioned to benefit from the anticipated spike in semiconductor demand in 2026 [4] - These companies have favorable growth metrics, with a Growth Score of A or B and a Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy), indicating solid investment opportunities [5] Micron Technology Insights - Micron Technology is emerging as a key beneficiary of the memory market recovery, with demand for DRAM and NAND tightening alongside a structural increase in memory content driven by AI workloads [6] - High-bandwidth memory (HBM) is a major growth driver for Micron, critical for AI accelerators, with demand outpacing supply, which supports profitability as volumes scale [7] - The company is also benefiting from improving demand in PCs, smartphones, and automotive applications, with revenue estimates indicating a year-over-year increase of 89.3% for fiscal 2026 and 22.8% for fiscal 2027 [8] Amphenol Corporation Insights - Amphenol is a major supplier of interconnect products essential for smartphones, laptops, and data center infrastructure, with recent acquisitions expanding its connectivity offerings [10] - The company is expected to benefit from rising AI data center buildouts and increasing automotive connectivity demand, with revenue estimates indicating a year-over-year increase of 49.4% for 2025 and 12.4% for 2026 [14] NVIDIA Corporation Insights - NVIDIA is the leader in high-performance GPUs, which are crucial for AI computing, with its products powering a range of applications from gaming to data centers [15] - The company is also expanding its market presence in automotive, robotics, and edge computing, increasing demand for advanced chips and software [16] - Revenue estimates for NVIDIA indicate a year-over-year increase of 62.4% for fiscal 2026 and 43.2% for fiscal 2027, with a Zacks Rank of 2 and a Growth Score of B [18]

Group 1 - Harbor Capital Appreciation Fund reported a return of 5.11% in Q3 2025, underperforming compared to the Russell 1000® Growth Index at 10.51% and the S&P 500 Index at 8.12% [1] - The fund primarily invests in U.S. companies with a market capitalization of at least $1 billion [1] - The strong performance of U.S. equities in Q3 was attributed to momentum in AI and robust corporate earnings, along with support from the Federal Reserve's interest rate cut [1] Group 2 - Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM) had a one-month return of 3.05% and a 52-week gain of 44.82%, closing at $298.80 per share with a market capitalization of $1.55 trillion on December 24, 2025 [2] - The demand for advanced AI and high-performance computing chips has driven TSM's stock higher, reinforcing its leadership in next-generation manufacturing [3] - TSM's revenue increased by 6% sequentially in NT during Q3 2025, and it ranked 9th among the 30 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds, with 194 hedge fund portfolios holding its shares [3]

Industry Overview - The semiconductor industry has rebounded in 2024 after a downturn in 2023, entering an AI-driven growth phase with global chip sales projected to reach approximately $728 billion in 2025, a 15% increase year-over-year, and nearly $800 billion in 2026, driven by demand for Memory and Logic chips used in AI systems [1] - Capital spending trends indicate that global investment in 300mm fab equipment is expected to exceed $100 billion in 2025, rising to around $116 billion in 2026 and $138 billion by 2028, fueled by AI compute demand and regional supply-chain diversification [2] - The semiconductor industry is expected to experience sustained double-digit growth through 2027, supported by advancements in High Bandwidth Memory (HBM), CoWoS/2.5D packaging, and capacity scaling from N3 to N2 nodes [5] Demand Dynamics - AI compute demand is a dominant force, with NVIDIA reporting Q3 FY26 revenue of $57 billion, of which $51.2 billion came from its Data Center unit, marking a 66% year-over-year increase [3] - TSMC has raised its 2025 capital expenditure guidance to $40–$42 billion, focusing on investments in N3/N2 nodes and advanced packaging, although AI demand for advanced-node capacity currently exceeds supply by a ratio of 3-1 [3] Supply Constraints - Memory and packaging are identified as the most constrained layers in the semiconductor stack, with High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) becoming critical for AI workloads; SK hynix is projected to hold a ~65% market share in HBM through 2026, with sold-out supply windows reported [4] - Micron Technology is investing $9.6 billion in a new HBM facility in Japan to expand its capacity [4] Company Highlights - Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD) has shown a revenue growth of 31.83% year-over-year and a 3-year revenue growth of 11.95%, with a strong analyst consensus rating of Buy or equivalent from over 80% of analysts [9][10] - AMD's recent advancements include the training of ZAYA1, a large-scale Mixture-of-Experts foundation model on its Instinct MI300X GPUs, which outperformed several benchmarks against competitors [11][12] - MACOM Technology Solutions Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:MTSI) reported a revenue growth of 32.58% year-over-year and a 3-year revenue growth of 12.73%, with strong demand in data centers driving its performance [14][16] - MACOM's Q4 FY25 revenue reached approximately $261.2 million, with a full-year revenue of $967.3 million, reflecting a 32.6% year-over-year increase [16]

Core Insights - JPMorgan upgraded Bitcoin miners Cipher Mining and CleanSpark to Overweight due to increased confidence in miners' colocation strategies driven by high-performance computing agreements [1][3] Group 1: Valuation Changes - A megawatt of critical IT colocation capacity is now valued between $8 million to $17 million, up from $4 million to $9 million [2] - A megawatt of critical IT cloud capacity could be worth as much as $19 million, compared to $12 million previously [2] - Cipher received a new price target of $18 for December 2026, up from $12, while CleanSpark's target remains at $14 [3] Group 2: Capacity Projections - Cipher could reach about 480 MW of critical IT capacity by 2026, reflecting 64 percent of its approved power portfolio [4] - CleanSpark's outlook includes assumptions for a colocation contract at its 285 MW site in Texas by late 2026 [4] - JPMorgan assigned a blended valuation of $14 million per MW for Cipher and $13 million per MW for CleanSpark [4] Group 3: Other Company Targets - IREN's price target was raised to $39 from $28, while Riot Platforms' target was lowered to $17 from $19 and MARA Holdings' target to $13 from $20 [5] - IREN's target is based on a critical IT valuation of $17 million per MW and an assumed 660 MW of HPC load by 2026 [5] Group 4: Share Count Adjustments - JPMorgan's diluted share-count estimates are 20 percent to 33 percent higher than Bloomberg figures due to factors like at-the-market issuance programs and convertible-note dilution [6] - Cipher's diluted share count was revised to 480 million, and CleanSpark's estimate rose to 334 million [7] - Combined diluted market capitalizations for Cipher, CleanSpark, IREN, Riot, and MARA were about $8 billion higher than indicated using Bloomberg share-count data [7] Group 5: Market Conditions - Bitcoin's decline of about 17 percent since the last update led to revisions in mining-related assumptions [8] - The updated baseline network hashrate is now 1,080 EH/s, with daily revenue per EH/s at $39,600 [8] - Mining businesses were valued using a range of $1 million to $2 million per MW based on cost structures and expected post-halving margins [8]

Core Viewpoint - Cipher Mining Inc. is positioned as a strong long-term investment in the cryptocurrency sector, bolstered by significant agreements and financial backing, particularly in high-performance computing and AI hosting [1][2][3]. Group 1: Strategic Agreements and Financial Backing - Cipher Mining has secured a 10-year AI-hosting agreement with Fluidstack valued at approximately $830 million, with potential total contracted revenue reaching about $2 billion and overall partnership value around $9 billion [1]. - Google has provided a lease guarantee of $333 million, increasing its total backing to approximately $1.73 billion [1]. - The company completed a private offering of $1.4 billion in senior secured notes, enhancing its financial capacity to support the construction of its Barber Lake facility [4]. Group 2: Operational and Financial Projections - Cipher plans to finance the construction of its Barber Lake facility through project debt and $118 million in equity, with expected construction costs between $9 million and $10 million per megawatt and anticipated margins of 85% to 90% [2]. - The company operates Bitcoin mining facilities while expanding into high-performance computing, focusing on sustainable and efficient energy use [5]. Group 3: Market Position and Analyst Ratings - Citizens initiated coverage of Cipher Mining with a Market Outperform rating and a price target of $30, highlighting the company's strategic shift from pure bitcoin mining to leveraging its 3.8-gigawatt power pipeline in Texas [3]. - Analyst Greg Miller noted that Cipher's buildout plans for 2026 position it uniquely in the high-performance computing market, potentially allowing it to compete with major projects and establish itself as a significant data-center operator [3].