chipmakers

Dutch chip equipment maker ASML says it is not selling its chipmaking machines to customers in Europe, and has warned that the region risks falling behind the United States, China and India in the semiconductor industry. The statement is drawing attention among business and technology watchers, who see it as a stark signal of Europe's weakening position in advanced chip production despite ongoing efforts to build domestic capacity.

Dutch chip equipment maker ASML says it is not selling its chipmaking machines in Europe, warning that the region risks falling behind the US, China and India in semiconductors. The remarks are drawing attention to Europe's limited role in advanced chip manufacturing despite hosting ASML itself, and are fueling debate about industrial policy and investment in the region.

Nvidia has authorized an additional $150 billion for its stock buyback program, which the company says is now the largest in history. The announcement, reported by the New York Times, comes as the chipmaker continues to benefit from demand for its artificial intelligence processors. Investors and market watchers are weighing what the scale of the repurchase signals about Nvidia's confidence in its future cash flows and the broader AI-driven rally in technology stocks.

Vanguard International Semiconductor, the smaller affiliate of chip giant TSMC, is considering building a second chipmaking plant in Singapore to meet growing demand. The move would expand its existing fabrication operations there and comes as global appetite for semiconductors continues to climb, with companies rushing to add manufacturing capacity across Southeast Asia.

Reports indicate China is considering relaxing restrictions on NVIDIA's AI chips, a potential shift in its stance on foreign semiconductors amid the ongoing US-China technology standoff. Any easing would affect Chinese companies seeking high-end AI hardware and could reshape the competitive landscape for global chipmakers.

An ASML executive said the Dutch chipmaking equipment giant currently sells none of its machines in Europe, despite being headquartered in the Netherlands. The remark highlights how Europe, despite ambitions to expand its semiconductor industry, remains largely absent as a customer base for ASML's advanced lithography systems, which are bought mainly by chipmakers in Asia and the United States.

The Trump administration is moving to redirect unallocated CHIPS Act funds while relying on tariff threats rather than subsidies to push chipmaking onshore. TSMC retained its $6.6 billion federal grant, but pressure from tariff threats led it to raise its total US investment pledge from $65 billion to more than $165 billion. Commentators note this shifts reshoring costs onto private capital, though tariffs are seen as a far slower route to building semiconductor capacity than direct subsidies.

Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang has dismissed warnings from Anthropic that artificial intelligence could pose catastrophic risks, saying there is a '0% chance' AI destroys the world by 2030. His comments put him directly at odds with leading AI lab executives pushing for stronger safety precautions. The remarks are drawing attention given Nvidia's central role in supplying the chips powering the AI boom, and critics may see a commercial interest in his optimism.

Investors are watching Dow Jones futures as comments from Donald Trump on Iran add uncertainty to markets at the start of trading. Attention is also on individual stocks, with Micron, SpaceX and Tesla seen as approaching technical buy points. Traders are weighing geopolitical headlines against stock-specific opportunities, with chipmaker Micron and Tesla among the names drawing interest from growth investors tracking market conditions.

A new report says China is planning to allow ByteDance and Alibaba to purchase Nvidia chips, signalling a possible easing of restrictions on US semiconductor access for major Chinese tech firms. China was once one of Nvidia's largest markets before export controls sharply limited such sales, so any reopening would be a significant development for both the chipmaker and Chinese AI companies.

Nvidia, the chipmaker led by chief executive Jensen Huang, has announced a new platform focused on the safety of AI agents. The product is aimed at ensuring autonomous AI systems behave reliably and securely as companies increasingly deploy them in real-world operations. Details on pricing and availability were not included in the initial announcement.

AT&S, the Austrian circuit board maker, is drawing attention for its role in producing substrates — the critical layers that connect advanced AI chips to the rest of a system. With demand for AI hardware surging, substrate supply has become a bottleneck, and companies like AT&S are racing to expand capacity to serve chipmakers and data centre builders.

Nvidia has approved the biggest share buyback ever seen in the stock market, according to Business Insider. The move signals the chipmaker's confidence in its long-term outlook despite its already enormous valuation, and comes as the company sits at the centre of the global AI boom. Investors and analysts are weighing what the unprecedented capital return means for the broader tech sector.

Europe is pushing to become a serious player in artificial intelligence, but its plans depend heavily on foreign-controlled supply chains for semiconductors and other critical components. The continent lacks domestic chip manufacturing capacity at the scale needed for AI development, leaving it reliant on suppliers in the US and Asia. Commentators question whether Europe can build genuine tech sovereignty without securing its own hardware foundations.

Nvidia has announced a set of AI security tools aimed at preventing breaches involving autonomous AI agents. The announcement, covered by Yahoo Finance Canada, positions the chipmaker to address growing concerns that AI agents acting on users' behalf could be exploited or hijacked by attackers.

Nvidia has introduced a new open-source tool designed to improve the security of artificial intelligence systems. The announcement positions the chipmaker as a player in AI safety tooling, alongside its dominant role in AI hardware. Details on the tool's specific capabilities and reception from developers remain limited, but the move aligns with growing industry attention on protecting AI models from misuse and attacks.

Qualcomm announced two new smartphone chips, strengthening its push into on-device artificial intelligence as competition among chipmakers intensifies. The announcement came alongside the company's earnings update, but investors were unmoved: Qualcomm shares slipped modestly in after-hours trading despite the new product launches. Attention is on how the company's AI-capable silicon will fare against rivals in the premium smartphone market.

Nvidia is buying back $150 billion of its own stock, the largest share repurchase ever announced by a public company. The move signals the chipmaker's confidence in its cash flow after explosive AI-driven growth, and gives it room to offset dilution from employee stock compensation while returning capital to shareholders at a historic scale.

SK hynix is considering producing memory chips in the United States, according to the Korea Herald. The South Korean chipmaker, a leading supplier of HBM and DRAM to companies like Nvidia, has so far concentrated manufacturing in Korea and China. A US move would align with Washington's push to bring advanced semiconductor production onshore through incentives and tariffs, though the company has reportedly not made a final decision.

US stock markets edged lower as rising bond yields pressured broader equities, with higher borrowing costs typically weighing on share prices. Nvidia, however, moved against the trend and continued rising. Investors are weighing whether strength in the chipmaker can offset weakness elsewhere as rate expectations shift.

AMD and Broadcom are drawing divided views from Wall Street analysts over which company is better positioned to win the next phase of the AI chip market. The two semiconductor firms are racing to supply custom and accelerative computing hardware as demand for AI infrastructure surges, and investors are split on which strategy will pay off.