CHiPs

AMD has agreed to an $8.2 billion deal to bring in Fei-Fei Li, the Stanford AI researcher widely known as the 'Godmother of AI'. The move signals AMD's push to compete more aggressively with Nvidia in artificial intelligence chips and computing. Analysts are weighing what the deal means for the AI hardware race.

ASML, the Dutch maker of advanced lithography equipment, says it currently sells no chipmaking machines within Europe, according to an executive. The statement highlights how Europe's chip manufacturing base has shrunk, with most of ASML's sales going to Asia and the United States, even as European policymakers push to expand domestic semiconductor production.

CNBC's Daily Open newsletter highlights a growing split in the artificial intelligence world: some of the technology's own creators are publicly warning about AI's dangers, while companies continue investing heavily in data centres, chips and other infrastructure to expand it. The piece frames the tension between safety concerns and the commercial race as a defining issue in the sector right now.

Nvidia is developing a watchdog chip designed to sit alongside every AI agent, monitoring its behaviour and preventing harmful or unauthorised actions. The idea reflects growing concern in the tech industry about autonomous AI systems acting without adequate oversight. Discussion centres on whether hardware-level safety mechanisms can keep pace with rapidly deployed agentic AI, and whether Nvidia's move will become an industry standard for AI safety.

A filing shows ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese parent company, gained access to more than 2,000 Nvidia B200 AI chips through Nscale's data center in Norway. A Singaporean subsidiary, Spring, contributed 73% of the UK neocloud provider Nscale's 2025 revenue. The arrangement highlights how US export restrictions on advanced chips to China can be circumvented through cloud capacity hosted in third countries, raising questions among observers about enforcement of AI hardware controls.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has described AI distillation — the practice of training smaller models to mimic larger ones — as 'competition,' in remarks reported by CNBC in the context of ongoing US-China AI rivalry. His framing is being read as a response to concerns that Chinese firms are leveraging distillation techniques to close the gap with leading American AI models.

Major technology companies are rapidly expanding the use of guarantees to back debt financing for AI datacentres and chips, issuing up to $300 billion in commitments in less than a year, according to analysis shared by economist Adam Tooze. The commitments largely stay off the companies' balance sheets, raising questions about hidden leverage in the AI buildout and how much risk the industry is actually carrying.

Singapore is increasing its investment in the semiconductor sector, according to a Financial Times report. The city-state has long been a key hub for chip manufacturing and packaging, hosting major global semiconductor firms, and the move signals its intent to deepen that role amid worldwide competition for chip supply chains and government-backed industry incentives.

The Trump administration has committed more than $5 billion to a new initiative called the Genesis Mission, which will target three areas: cancer research, semiconductor development, and quantum computing. The funding combines health and technology priorities in a single program, drawing attention from markets tracking semiconductors and emerging tech. Details on how the money will be allocated across the three fields have not yet been fully laid out.

NVIDIA's GTC conference is in the spotlight as the company's flagship event for announcing advances in AI computing, chips and software. Attendees and industry watchers are looking to the keynote for updates on next-generation GPUs, data center products and the broader AI buildout that has made NVIDIA central to the semiconductor sector.

Memory module maker Netlist has asked US authorities to ban imports of Micron chips used in AI computing systems built for Google and Nvidia, escalating a long-running patent dispute between the two companies. The request, if granted, could disrupt supply chains for high-performance memory components central to the AI boom. Industry watchers are tracking whether trade officials will intervene in a case with wide implications for the semiconductor sector.

Qualcomm has renewed its global chip licensing agreement with Apple, with the new terms set to take effect on 1 April 2027. The deal ensures Apple can continue using Qualcomm technology in its devices, extending one of the most significant supplier relationships in the smartphone industry. The renewal is being reported across technology and semiconductor industry outlets.

Qualcomm has announced two new flagship phone chips, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and, for the first time alongside it, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6. The company describes both as flagships, with differences between them relatively minor: improvements are concentrated in AI processing, video capture, and gaming performance rather than a broad spec overhaul.

Banana Pi has introduced the BPI-CM7, a new computer-on-module built around the Allwinner H618 chip and positioned as a lower-cost alternative to the Raspberry Pi CM5. Documentation is already available on the Banana Pi site, with support for Android and Linux. Makers in the single-board computing community are sharing the launch and comparing it to Raspberry Pi's module.

A recall affecting Zapp's and Dirty Brand potato chips has been assigned the FDA's highest risk classification, meaning the agency considers the products potentially capable of causing serious health consequences. The announcement has drawn wide attention, with consumers checking whether bags they purchased are among the affected batches and awaiting further guidance on specific products and lot codes.

AMD is reportedly acquiring World Labs, the AI startup led by Fei-Fei Li, for $8.2 billion, a move analysts say signals a broader race in AI focused on robotics and 3D simulation. Commenters are weighing what the acquisition could mean for AMD's future chips, its rivalry with Nvidia, and its push into physical-world AI applications.

US lawmakers are planning legislation that would block China's access to advanced AI chips, escalating technology export restrictions. Nvidia and AMD, the leading makers of AI processors with major business exposure in China, want President Trump to step in and soften or block the move. The fight highlights growing tension between national security hawks and chipmakers concerned about losing a key market.

Qualcomm Senior Vice President and Head of Mobile Handsets Chris Patrick has confirmed the company is conducting in-depth work on Samsung's 2nm process, signaling a close manufacturing partnership between the two firms. The move points to Qualcomm diversifying beyond TSMC for future Snapdragon chips and deepening its long-standing relationship with Samsung. Commenters are weighing what this means for upcoming flagship mobile processors.

Edmonton Oilers centre Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is out for the team's season opener, according to TSN's Oilers Ice Chips update. The report also notes new coach Mike Babcock may experiment by splitting Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on separate lines. Nugent-Hopkins' absence leaves a hole in Edmonton's top six and raises questions about how the forward group will be shuffled for the opener.

AMD has acquired World Labs, an AI startup, in a move widely framed as an escalation of its rivalry with Nvidia. The deal, reported by Ars Technica, signals AMD's intent to strengthen its position in the rapidly growing artificial intelligence market, where Nvidia currently holds a dominant lead in chips and AI infrastructure.

Apple's chief executive John Ternus is reportedly preparing layoffs as the cost of memory chips climbs. The report, picked up by Yahoo Finance, ties potential job cuts to rising component prices squeezing margins. The company has not commented, and details on how many roles could be affected remain unknown.

Semiconductors designed for artificial intelligence workloads are in the spotlight as demand for AI services keeps climbing. Specialised processors, often referred to as AI accelerators or GPUs, handle the massive computations behind chatbots and other generative tools. Companies such as Nvidia, AMD and Intel are competing to supply them, and investors closely follow every development in this market.

Memory module maker Netlist has asked US trade authorities to ban imports of Micron chips used in artificial intelligence computing systems built for Google and Nvidia, escalating a long-running patent dispute between the two companies. The move could disrupt supply chains for AI hardware if regulators side with Netlist, drawing attention across the semiconductor and cloud computing industries.

The United States is pushing to bring semiconductor manufacturing back onshore, but the effort faces a workforce gap: too few printed circuit board designers. As fabs and packaging investments expand, the shortage of engineers who lay out the boards that connect chips into working electronics threatens to bottleneck American hardware production and supply chain independence.

Microsoft has explained why AMD processors have never featured in its Surface line of devices, attributing the absence to its own limited portfolio rather than any technical barrier. The statement offers a rare direct account of Microsoft's silicon sourcing decisions for Surface, where Intel and Qualcomm chips dominate. Observers are weighing what the explanation means for future AMD-powered Surface hardware.

Baidu has spent roughly 15 years developing its own AI chips in-house, a long-running effort to reduce reliance on foreign semiconductor suppliers. The company now faces a public test as its chips are judged against market expectations, amid intense competition in China's AI hardware sector and ongoing US export restrictions shaping demand for domestic alternatives.

Nvidia is in discussions with insurance companies to develop loans backed by its AI chips, according to the Financial Times. The arrangement would let customers finance purchases of Nvidia's expensive AI hardware using the chips themselves as collateral. The move reflects the enormous cost of AI infrastructure and Nvidia's effort to keep demand for its chips growing among buyers facing financing constraints.

A look back at Dennis Haskins' lesser-known television work is drawing attention, remembering his appearances on classic shows like 'CHiPs' and 'The Dukes of Hazzard'. The actor is best known for playing Mr. Belding on 'Saved by the Bell', but the tribute highlights the smaller parts that came before and around his signature role, prompting fans to revisit his career.

The EU Chips Joint Undertaking has opened two calls for projects focused on developing AI hardware. The initiative is part of European efforts to strengthen domestic semiconductor capabilities and support the hardware needed for artificial intelligence applications. Funding details and eligibility criteria are expected to draw interest from chipmakers, research institutions and technology companies across Europe.