Global AI trend tracker 25 September 2025 EQUITY: TECHNOLOGY Liquid cooling market upgrade: AI expert call takeaways Quick Note We hosted our AI Expert Call Series #51 today (25 September), with an expert from a leading global company in the liquid cooling industry. We discussed the technology trends and the liquid cooling roadmap of leading global AI companies, the supply-chain dynamics, and the competitive landscape. The expert also spoke about the frequently discussed topics related to recent development ...

Core Viewpoint - IREN Limited has achieved NVIDIA Preferred Partner status and expanded its GPU fleet with the acquisition of additional NVIDIA GPUs, enhancing its AI Cloud capabilities [1][3]. Group 1: GPU Acquisition and Financing - IREN has procured 1.2k air-cooled NVIDIA B300s and 1.2k liquid-cooled NVIDIA GB300s for approximately $168 million, increasing its total GPU fleet to 10.9k NVIDIA GPUs [1][3]. - The financing for the GB300s amounts to approximately $96 million, structured as a 24-month lease covering 100% of the purchase price, with lease payments based on a high single-digit interest rate [2]. - The B300 GPUs are funded from existing cash, with additional financing efforts in progress [2]. Group 2: Data Center Expansion - The new GPUs will be installed at IREN's Prince George campus, where a 10MW liquid-cooled installation is under construction, capable of supporting over 4.5k GB300s [3]. - The data center platform supports both liquid-cooled and air-cooled systems, backed by nearly 3GW of grid-connected power, scalable to hundreds of thousands of GPUs [4]. Group 3: Company Overview - IREN is a leading developer and operator of next-generation data centers, focusing on Bitcoin, AI, and renewable energy solutions [8]. - The company operates 810MW of data centers across three verticals: Bitcoin Mining, AI Cloud Services, and AI Data Centers, with a significant focus on high-performance computing [10].

Group 1 - TrendForce indicates that the demand for MLCC orders may be impacted due to the gradual decline of preemptive consumption and inventory accumulation, with the back-to-school season in Q3 facing uncertainties [1] - ODM orders for mid-to-low-end consumer products such as smartphones, laptops, and tablets are expected to remain flat or increase by only about 5% in Q3, reflecting a conservative order strategy [1] - AI Server orders are experiencing a surge, driven by the simultaneous release of NVIDIA's GB200 and GB300 platforms, leading to a nearly 25% average quarterly increase in MLCC stocking demand [1] Group 2 - The capacity utilization rates among MLCC suppliers show significant disparities, with Japanese and Korean manufacturers focusing on high-end AI applications averaging 90%, while Chinese manufacturers are around 75% [2] - MLCC suppliers are accelerating the establishment of testing and packaging production lines in Southeast Asia to achieve localized production [2] - OEMs are expected to face cost pressures, leading to potential price increases for end products as they release RFQ for 2026 mobile phones and laptops [2]

Core Insights - The article highlights the impact of early consumption and inventory accumulation on the demand for MLCCs, indicating potential fluctuations in back-to-school season consumption in Q3 2023 [1] - There is a noticeable polarization in industry demand, with ODM orders for mid-to-low-end consumer products showing only a slight increase, reflecting a conservative approach to order placements [1] - The demand for AI servers is surging, driven by the simultaneous release of NVIDIA's GB200 and GB300 platforms, positively affecting the revenue of major ODMs [1] Group 1 - TrendForce reports that MLCC order demand may be affected by the diminishing early consumption and inventory accumulation, leading to uncertainties in the Q3 back-to-school season [1] - ODM orders for mid-to-low-end consumer products are expected to remain flat or increase by only about 5% in Q3, indicating a shift towards a more cautious order strategy [1] - Many companies have preemptively shipped products in the first half of the year to adapt to international market changes, which has depleted traditional demand for the second half of the year [1] Group 2 - The supply chain's operational rates are polarized, with Japanese and Korean manufacturers focusing on high-end AI applications achieving an average capacity utilization rate of 90%, while Chinese manufacturers are around 75% [2] - MLCC suppliers are accelerating the establishment of testing and packaging lines in Southeast Asia to localize production and supply [2] - OEMs are expected to face cost pressures, leading to potential price increases for end products as they release RFQ for 2026 mobile phones and laptops [2]

Core Insights - Micron Technology's high bandwidth memory (HBM) chips are gaining significant traction due to their increasing application in high-performance computing, hyperscalers, and AI data centers, with HBM revenues surpassing $1 billion in Q2 FY25 [2][10] - The company is fully sold out of its HBM supply for calendar 2025, driven by strong demand for its HBM3E and HBM3E-12H variants, which offer better power efficiency and higher memory capacity compared to competitors [3][10] - Micron's HBM market is projected to exceed $35 billion in 2025, with a focus on securing delivery agreements for 2026 [4] Company Performance - Micron is set to ramp up production of the next generation HBM4 in 2026, which will provide over 60% more bandwidth than HBM3E [5] - The company anticipates Q3 FY25 revenues of $8.80 billion, reflecting a year-over-year growth of 29.33% [6] - Micron's shares have increased by 31.8% year-to-date, outperforming the Zacks Computer - Integrated Systems industry, which grew by 15.1% [9] Competitive Landscape - The global HBM market is highly consolidated, with key players including SK hynix, TSMC, and Samsung, although not all directly compete with Micron [7] - SK hynix and TSMC are collaborating to develop HBM4 and next-generation packaging technology, which presents growth opportunities for Micron [8] Valuation and Earnings Estimates - Micron trades at a forward price-to-sales ratio of 2.84X, lower than the industry average of 3.53X [11] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Micron's fiscal 2025 earnings indicates a year-over-year growth of 433%, with a 55.87% growth estimate for 2026 [12]