Alpha Coverage #111
Free Weekly Stock Market Newsletter
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This Week’s Alpha Coverage: YouTube Playlist.
Editor’s Pick:
NVDA 0.00%↑ #MistralAI
[News] Nvidia, Mistral AI teams with MGX, Bpifrance to build Europe's largest AI campus
Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) has joined the French artificial intelligence company Mistral AI along with MGX, a United Arab Emirates investment fund, and Bpifrance, a French public investment bank, on a joint venture to establish the largest AI campus on the European continent.
It is expected to come online in Paris in 2028, and eventually boast a 1.4 GW capacity. Construction is slated to begin during the second half of 2026.
It will be Europe's first "purpose-built intelligence hub" and will support the entire AI lifecycle, including model training and inference and deployment of generative and applied AI systems.
"It will support large-scale AI adoption in fields such as healthcare, mobility, energy, finance, and manufacturing, while advancing Europe's digital and climate sovereignty," the companies said.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - May 19, 2025
ASPI 0.00%↑ #TerraPower
[News] ASP Isotopes, TerraPower reach loan and supply deals for construction of HALEU facility
ASP (NASDAQ:ASPI) said a loan agreement provides conditional commitments from TerraPower through a wholly-owned U.S.-based subsidiary for a multiple advance term loan to partially finance a proposed new uranium enrichment facility in South Africa, which is designed to produce commercial quantities of HALEU, and is in discussions with a number of financial institutions to provide additional capital for the construction of the HALEU production facility.
In addition to the loan agreement, ASP (ASPI) and TerraPower entered into two supply agreements for the HALEU expected to be produced at the South African uranium enrichment facility, an initial core supply agreement to support the supply the required first fuel cores for the initial loading of TerraPower’s Natrium project in Wyoming, and a 10-year supply agreement of as much as 150 metric tons of HALEU during 2028-37.
ASP (ASPI) and TerraPower also agreed to explore opportunities to develop other uranium enrichment production facilities in the U.S.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - May 19, 2025
[News] D-Wave Quantum leaps as it releases its Advantage2 computer system
D-Wave Quantum shares (NYSE:QBTS) surged during early trading Tuesday, after the company announced the general availability of its Advantage2 quantum computing system, which is its most advanced system and capable of solving problems beyond the realm of classical computers.
The new system is now generally available. Customers in more than 40 countries can access the Advantage2 system via D-Wave's quantum cloud service.
Advantage2 features more than 4,400 qubits, more than 40,000 couplers and 20-way connectivity. Quantum computing is already being utilized by businesses, researchers and government agencies.
In an interview with Seeking Alpha, Baratz said they have more than 130 customers today, and more than 70 of those are commercial. The rest are research, education and government clients.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - May 20, 2025
[News] GE Vernova rises to all-time high as TVA applies to build company's reactor
GE Vernova (NYSE:GEV) +0.6% in Tuesday's trading to an all-time intraday high of $450.44 as the Tennessee Valley Authority, the largest U.S. public power company filed an application to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to build BWRX-300, a small modular reactor developed by GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy.
TVA said its construction permit application is the next step in pursuing an SMR at its Clinch River site near Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and "establishing America’s energy dominance to power artificial intelligence, quantum computing and advanced manufacturing."
The smaller footprint of the BWRX-300 means they can possibly be built more quickly, are easier to operate and better fit into the landscape due to their compact size, TVA said.
The announcement follows a recent decision from Ontario's provincial government in Canada to build the same GE Hitachi SMR.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - May 20, 2025
AAPL 0.00%↑ #OpenAI #LoveFrom
[News] Former Apple exec Jony Ive joins OpenAI in $6.5B blockbuster deal
io, the hardware startup backed by Sir Jony Ive, the former Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) executive best known for his design work on the iPhone and Mac, is joining OpenAI in a blockbuster $6.5B deal, the ChatGPT maker said on Wednesday.
OpenAI is paying $5B in stock to acquire io. The remaining $1.5B comes from a 23% stake that OpenAI acquired in io during the fourth quarter of 2024, Bloomberg reported.
“As io merges with OpenAI, Jony and LoveFrom will assume deep design and creative responsibilities across OpenAI and io,” OpenAI said in a statement.
The first new products from the deal will be shown in 2026, OpenAI said.
Rumors swirled for years that Ive, who formed the design consultancy firm LoveFrom in June 2019 after leaving Apple, could team up OpenAI in some fashion.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - May 21, 2025
LEU 0.00%↑ BWXT 0.00%↑ OKLO 0.00%↑ SMR 0.00%↑ GEV 0.00%↑
[News] Trump signs executive orders aiming to expand nuclear power, speed up reactor construction
President Trump signed executive orders Friday aimed at expanding the production of nuclear energy and easing the regulatory process on approvals for new nuclear reactors.
The orders are intended to reform nuclear energy research at the U.S. Department of Energy, clear a path to allow the DoE to build nuclear reactors on federally-owned land, overhaul the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and expand uranium mining and enrichment in the U.S.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - May 23, 2025
News, Facts, Analyst & Market Commentary - Short Reads:
[Newsletter Exclusive] UK crosses China to be second-largest foreign holder of US Treasuries
The U.K. has surpassed China to be the second-largest foreign holder of U.S. Treasuries for the first time since late 2000, as Beijing scaled back its holdings before its trade war with the U.S. escalated in April.
The U.K.'s U.S. Treasury holdings increased 3.9% M/M to $779.3B in March, while China's stockpile reduced 2.4% to $765.4B. Japan continues to be the top foreign holder of U.S. Treasury, with holdings valued at $1.13T.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - May 19, 2025
[Newsletter Exclusive] Nvidia CEO unveils next-gen AI tech, Taiwan supercomputer project
Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang announced a wave of new technologies and partnerships at the Computex 2025 conference in Taiwan to reinforce the company’s dominance in AI computing space.
Huang opened the event with an update on the company's next-generation GB300 systems, set to launch in Q3 of this year, offering major performance gains over current Grace Blackwell platforms.
The executive also introduced the RTX Pro Server, already in volume production, which delivers four times the performance of the Nvidia’s former flagship H100 chips on DeepSeek (DEEPSEEK) workloads and 1.7 times on some of Meta’s (META) Llama model jobs.
To provide more flexibility in AI infrastructure, Nvidia unveiled NVLink Fusion — a modular system that allows data centers to mix and match Nvidia GPUs with third-party CPUs or its own AI accelerators.
The company also launched DGX Cloud Lepton, a software service to connect AI developers with global cloud computing resources, and introduced detailed blueprints to help organizations build their own AI factories.
In a major regional development, Nvidia is partnering with Apple supplier Foxconn (OTCPK:FXCOF), formerly known as Hon Hai Precision (OTCPK:HNHAF) (OTCPK:HNHPF), and Taiwan’s government to build an AI supercomputer factory powered by 10,000 Nvidia Blackwell GPUs.
The project, led by Foxconn subsidiary Big Innovation Company, will support research, startups, and enterprises across Taiwan.
The Taiwan National Science and Technology Council will use the supercomputer to provide AI cloud computing resources to accelerate AI development and adoption in sectors across the country. TSMC will use the system to accelerate semiconductor R&D via Nvidia’s Omniverse platform.
Additionally, Nvidia said its compact AI computers, the Spark and Station, will be available from a wider range of suppliers starting this summer, with Acer, Gigabyte, Dell, and HP among the partners offering the portable and desktop devices.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - May 19, 2025
Qualcomm to make custom data center CPUs that link to Nvidia chips
Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) plans to launch custom central processing units (CPUs) for data centers specifically designed to connect with Nvidia’s (NASDAQ:NVDA) artificial intelligence (AI) chips.
This move marks Qualcomm’s (NASDAQ:QCOM) re-entry into the data center CPU market, leveraging Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) technology to enhance communication between its CPUs and Nvidia’s dominant GPUs-crucial for high-performance AI workloads.
“With the ability to connect our custom processors to NVIDIA’s rack-scale architecture, we’re advancing our vision of high-performance, energy-efficient computing to the data center.” said Cristiano Amon, president and CEO of Qualcomm Technologies.
The upcoming CPUs will incorporate Nvidia’s NVLink Fusion technology, enabling direct, high-speed connections to Nvidia GPUs within data center environments.
Previously, Nvidia’s (NASDAQ:NVDA) GPUs have been paired with CPUs from Intel (INTC) and AMD (AMD) (AMD). Nvidia has recently entered the CPU market itself with its Arm-based “Grace” CPU, intensifying competition.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - May 19, 2025
Astera Labs expands collaboration with Nvidia
Astera Labs (NASDAQ:ALAB) Monday said that it is collaborating with Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) to provide scale-up connectivity solutions for the new NVIDIA NVLink Fusion ecosystem.
“By adding NVLink solutions to our Intelligent Connectivity Platform, we will enhance optionality and time-to-market for our hyperscaler customers and expand our market opportunity,” said Sanjay Gajendra, President and COO of Astera Labs (NASDAQ:ALAB).
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - May 19, 2025
First Solar leads solar names lower as Trump tax bill advances with earlier end to tax credits
First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) and AES Corp. (AES) are Monday's two biggest losers on the S&P 500, -7.1% and -4.2% respectively, after conservative Republican lawmakers in the U.S. House secured a commitment from leadership to end clean energy tax credits earlier than planned, as part of a compromise aimed at allowing President Trump's tax and spending package to advance, Bloomberg reported.
South Carolina Representative Ralph Norman, one of four Republican members negotiating the package, said House leadership had agreed to a proposal to end Inflation Reduction Act tax credits earlier than an original proposal that had called for several energy credits, including a tax incentive for clean energy production, to phase out beginning in 2029 and ending in 2032.
House Republican leadership staff told reporters Monday that a phase-out date has not been decided and it remains to be seen if it would cover shovel-ready projects.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - May 19, 2025
[Newsletter Exclusive] Microsoft unveils updates to Azure AI Foundry, highlights agentic web at Build
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) revealed a series of updates to Azure AI Foundry, its artificial intelligence-powered agent factory, and its role in the creation of an open-source agentic web at the Microsoft Build event in Seattle on Monday.
Microsoft also introduced NLWeb, "an open project developed by Microsoft that aims to make it simple to create a rich, natural language interface for websites using the model of their choice and their own data."
Microsoft revealed Copilot Tuning, which allows enterprises to fine-tune AI agents using their own data and processes, without requiring coding expertise.
"The next thing we are introducing is an autonomous AI agent, Azure SRE agent," Nadella said. "It is a full coding agent built right into GitHub. It is now available to all of you."
Microsoft 365 Copilot is also experiencing a significant update. Windows is being modernized for the agentic era. They are adding native Model Context Protocol, or MCP, registry. MCP allows AI agents to access various data sources and execute actions in other applications.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - May 19, 2025
EWJ 0.00%↑ DXJ 0.00%↑ SPY 0.00%↑ QQQ 0.00%↑ DIA 0.00%↑
[Newsletter Exclusive] Japan reaffirms call for U.S. to scrap tariffs, says trade envoy
Japan’s chief trade negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, reaffirmed on Tuesday that Tokyo’s position remains unchanged in bilateral trade talks, continuing to call for the removal of U.S. tariffs.
Tokyo will not rush into clinching a trade deal if doing so risks hurting the country's interests, he said.
Akazawa said the two countries held working-level trade talks in Washington on Monday, Reuters reported. The schedule of a third round of ministerial-level negotiations was yet to be fixed, he added.
A source with knowledge of the negotiations has told Reuters that Japan is considering a package of proposals to gain US concessions that may include increased imports of US corn and soy, technical cooperation in shipbuilding, and revision to inspection standards for imported automobiles.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - May 20, 2025
GOOG 0.00%↑ GOOGL 0.00%↑ #Waymo
Alphabet's Waymo cleared to expand robotaxi service in Bay Area
Waymo, Alphabet's (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) self-driving unit, has received approval from the California Public Utilities Commission to expand its robotaxi service in the San Francisco Bay Area, including most of San Jose.
Waymo, in partnership with Uber (NYSE:UBER), also started offering robotaxi rides this week to customers in Atlanta who'd signed up for a waitlist. The service is scheduled to fully launch in Atlanta this summer.
The robotaxi service - Waymo One - provides over 250,000 paid trips each week across Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Austin. Waymo is targeting to launch the service in Miami and Washington, D.C. in 2026.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - May 20, 2025
AMZN 0.00%↑ #Zoox
Zoox to begin testing autonomous fleet in Atlanta - update
Amazon’s (NASDAQ:AMZN) Zoox is making plans to expand its robotaxi fleet to Atlanta, starting with mapping the city's streets with its retrofitted SUVs this summer.
The company plans to deploy its Zoox testing fleet, which are custom Toyota Highlander SUVs with a human safety driver.
The SUVs will gather data before eventually going fully autonomous with a purpose-built vehicle without a driver’s seat, steering wheel, or gas and brake pedals.
Zoox currently operates a test fleet in San Francisco, Las Vegas, Miami, Austin, Seattle, and Los Angeles with public riders slated to begin using Zoox autonomous vehicles in Las Vegas and San Francisco later this year.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - May 20, 2025
[Newsletter Exclusive] Google highlights AI acceleration at 2025 I/O developer conference
"Agentic" AI features are coming to Chrome, Search and the Gemini app, Pichai said. For example, Gemini's "Agent Mode" will be capable of taking on more complex tasks like weekly searches for apartments fulfilling key requirements. It's coming soon to subscribers, Pichai said.
Pichai teased the company's seventh-generation Tensor Processing Unit, code-named "Ironwood," which he said is the "first design to power thinking and inference at scale" and offers a 10-fold performance increase over the previous-generation chip. "It's coming to Google Cloud customers later this year."
The Gemini app has over 400 million monthly active users.
Pichai also showed off the end result of its "Project Starline" 2D-to-3D video conferencing research: "Google Beam," a project that uses six cameras to render conference participants in a 3D-like experience, coming to hardware with the help of HP.
The company is also bringing real time speech translation in Google Meet. Google is introducing English and Spanish are available for subscribers with more languages coming in the next few weeks. Real-time translation will be coming to enterprises later this year.
Gemini Live has Project Astra's camera and screen sharing abilities. The company will roll out the feature on android and iOS starting today.
Google also introduced multitasking in Project Mariner, an agent which was released as a prototype in December 2024. It can now oversee 10 simultaneous tasks at once and is also using a feature called "teach and repeat."
The tech giant also showcased its XR glasses prototype and demonstrated capabilities like live translation, maps assistance, and reminders, among other things, and disclosed the Warby Parker partnership publicly.
Google said Gemini models can now use relevant personal context across Google apps and demonstrated "Smart Replies in Gmail." It would use past emails and files in Google Drive to suggest a response that will match a person's tone. The feature will be available for subscribers later this year and the company will explore ways to bring it to Search, the Gemini app, and other products.
Google unveiled a new video model, Veo 3, that can generate native audio, and introduced Imagen 4, its latest image generation model, both of which are available in the Gemini app.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - May 20, 2025
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - May 20, 2025
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - May 20, 2025
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - May 21, 2025
[Newsletter Exclusive] Google adds 'AI Mode' to Search, takes step beyond AI Overviews
Google (NASDAQ:GOOG)(NASDAQ:GOOGL) revealed the next stage of integrating artificial intelligence into its popular search engine during its annual developers conference on Tuesday.
The new feature, called AI Mode, goes well beyond last year's AI Overviews. It utilizes Gemini 2.5 for advanced reasoning, thinking and multimodal capabilities for user questions.
It is available for testing today in Google Labs. It will be rolled out to all U.S. users in the next few weeks. A new tab called "AI Mode" will appear in Search and in the search bar in the Google app.
It can connect to other apps, and use your history to pull out personal context to customize AI for each individual user. Deep Search is also being added this summer. Google said, "It will be the most powerful tool for discovery than anything the web has ever seen."
Vidhya Srinivasan, vice president and general manager of ads and commerce, revealed new shopping features contained in AI Mode.
"With AI Mode we are bringing a new level of intelligence," she said. "It uses real-time data from the web and the latest Google Images and shopping information."
AI Mode introduces a new "Try On" feature, which allows users to virtually try on clothes for free. It perceives shapes and depths more accurately for body mapping, and can show how the clothes will stretch and fold over the virtual wearer.
"AI Mode handles everything from inspiration to purchase," Srinivasan said.
AI Mode is multimodal and can process text, audio, image and video.
Google continues to dominate the online search market, but it faces growing competition from AI companies such as OpenAI and Perplexity.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - May 20, 2025
GOOG 0.00%↑ GOOGL 0.00%↑ NFLX 0.00%↑ DIS 0.00%↑
[Newsletter Exclusive] Nielsen's 'Gauge' report for April shows steady rise in TV viewing via streaming
The report, which is a monthly snapshot of total broadcast, cable, and streaming consumption via TV, showed that time spent streaming accounted for 44.3% of total TV viewing in April. Cable made up for 24.5% of total TV viewing and broadcast's share was 20.8%.
Nielsen said TV viewing via streaming surged 15% from last year, while broadcast has declined 7% and cable fell 16%.
In April, YouTube (GOOG) (GOOGL) lead the pack with 12.4% share of overall TV viewing, followed by Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) with 7.5%, and Disney (NYSE:DIS) with 5% share.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - May 20, 2025
[Newsletter Exclusive] Trump unveils vision for $175B ‘Golden Dome’ missile defense
President Donald Trump on Tuesday formally introduced his concept for the "Golden Dome," a proposed $175 billion missile defense initiative that would, for the first time, incorporate U.S. weaponry in space.
Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump said he anticipates the system could be “fully operational” by the end of his potential second term in 2029, with capabilities that could intercept missiles “even if they are launched from space.”
Trump named Gen. Michael Guetlein, currently the vice chief of space operations, to oversee the project’s development. The Golden Dome system is envisioned as a multilayered defense platform capable of intercepting missiles during every phase of their trajectory — from pre-launch detection to terminal descent — using both terrestrial and space-based systems.
For months, the Pentagon has been developing a range of options for the system, categorized by cost as medium, high and “extra high.” All include some form of space-based interceptors — a major shift in U.S. defense posture. The key differences between the proposed versions lie in the number of satellites and onboard sensors involved, as well as the scale of new orbital weapons systems.
Amid the fanfare of Trump's announcement, funding for the Golden Dome hasn't yet been secured, and much of the program remains conceptual.
Air Force Secretary Troy Meink told lawmakers Tuesday that while the vision has been outlined by the president, the system’s official requirements are still under development. The Pentagon and U.S. Northern Command are in the process of drafting the initial capabilities document -- a key step in defining what the system is expected to accomplish.
The Defense Department has long warned that emerging missile technologies from adversaries like China and Russia could overwhelm existing U.S. missile defense systems.
These nations have also developed offensive space capabilities, such as satellites designed to disable U.S. military infrastructure in orbit. Golden Dome’s emphasis on deploying interceptors in space is aimed at countering these evolving threats by enabling interception earlier in the missile's flight path.
Some elements of the Golden Dome would incorporate existing U.S. missile defense assets, including ground-based Patriot systems and orbital missile-tracking satellites.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - May 20, 2025
[Newsletter Exclusive] Volvo and Google expand partnership for Android software in cars
The Sweden-based carmaker is now the primary development collaborator for Android Automotive OS, making its vehicles the reference hardware for Google’s in-car software development. The arrangement allows the carmaker to introduce new capabilities, features, and experiences to its customers more rapidly than competitors.
The automotive industry usually lags about two Android versions behind mobile devices, meaning many smartphone features are not immediately available in cars.
Currently, Volvo cars use Android 13, but at Google’s 2025 I/O developer conference, Volvo’s EX90 electric SUV was showcased running Android 15—the latest version—which will be rolled out to production vehicles later this year.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - May 21, 2025
AAPL 0.00%↑ #EpicGames #Fortnight
Fortnite is back on Apple's App Store in U.S. after nearly 5 years
Epic Games' blockbuster game Fortnite has returned to Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) App Store in the U.S., ending its ban on the platform that lasted nearly five years.
Fortnite's return followed a judge ruling that Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) violated a court order requiring it to allow greater competition for app downloads and payment methods in its App Store.
Epic Games, backed by China's Tencent (OTCPK:TCEHY) (OTCPK:TCTZF), and Apple (AAPL) have been in a legal battle since 2020 over the iPhone maker charging commission fees on in-app payments.
Michael Ashley Schulman, investment chief at Running Point Capital Advisors, told Reuters that Fortnite's return opened the door to potentially reshape iOS economics over the next 12-18 months.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - May 21, 2025
#BTC #Bitcoin
[Newsletter Exclusive] Bitcoin hits new all-time high above $110K
Bitcoin (BTC-USD) on Wednesday climbed to a record high as the world's largest cryptocurrency crossed the $110K mark for the first time late Wednesday night.
Altcoins like Ether (ETH-USD) and Dogecoin (DOGE-USD) rose in tandem with bitcoin (BTC-USD).
Bitcoin (BTC-USD) is up 15% so far this year and 55% from a year earlier, far outpacing the S&P 500 Index's 1% YTD rise and 12% Y/Y advance.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - May 21, 2025
Trump's 'big beautiful' budget bill passes House vote
Lawmakers voted 215-214 for the bill, with all Democrats and two Republicans voting against the measure.
The bill proposes about $3.8T in tax cuts (including the extension of Trump's 2017 tax cuts), and rollback of tax breaks for electric vehicles and green energy. It also seeks about $150B for the Pentagon, which would also cover Trump's mass deportation efforts and border security.
The most divisive proposals in the bill are the stricter requirements for Medicaid, which could result in around $625B in savings over the next decade, as well as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which could save up to $300B.
According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the proposed tax changes would increase the federal deficit by an estimated $3.8T over the next decade. It also noted that the tax cuts would benefit top earners more than low-income households.
The bill could lead to around 7.6M Americans losing their health insurance over the next 10 years, the agency estimated.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - May 22, 2025
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - May 22, 2025
TSLA 0.00%↑ $BYDDF $BYDDY
[Newsletter Exclusive] BYD sells more EVs than Tesla in Europe for the first time
BYD Company (OTCPK:BYDDF) (OTCPK:BYDDY) sold more electric vehicles in Europe than Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) for the first time in its history, according to data from Jato Dynamics. The Chinese automaker registered 7,231 vehicles during April, which was up 169% year-over-year and slightly higher than Tesla's (NASDAQ:TSLA) tally for the same month.
Tesla's (NASDAQ:TSLA) registrations were estimated to have fallen 49% year-over-year in April amid the Model Y changeover and persistent backlash against Elon Musk for interfering with European politics. The Austin-based company has seen sales in Europe fall dramatically in 2025, despite an overall rise in the EV market.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - May 22, 2025
AAPL 0.00%↑ #OpenAI #LoveFrom
OpenAI's Sam Altman, Jony Ive talk new AI device with staff: report
OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman gave his staff a preview of the devices he is developing with former Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) designer Jony Ive, as he hopes to ship 100M AI “companions” that become a part of everyday life, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Altman and Ive provided a few hints at the secret project they have been working on. The product will be capable of being fully aware of a user’s surroundings and life. It will be unobtrusive, able to be placed in one’s pocket or on one’s desk, and would be a third core device a person would put on their desk after a MacBook Pro and an iPhone, according to the report.
The media outlet previously reported that the product will not be a phone, and that Ive and Altman’s aim is to help users let go of screens. Altman also said the device is not a pair of glasses, and that Ive had been skeptical about building something to wear on the body, the report noted.
Ive referenced “a new design movement,” while Altman noted that it would amount to a “family of devices.”
Ive and Altman also provided details about how their collaboration grew in the last several years. About 18 months ago, OpenAI’s Vice President of Product Peter Welinder started working with Ive’s team. The two parties became excited about a specific device last fall, the report noted.
The original plan was that Ive’s startup would develop and sell its own devices using OpenAI’s technology. However, Altman realized that would not work and that knew the two companies would have to be combined because the device was not only an accessory but a central facet of the user relationship with OpenAI, the report stated.
The current prototype for the new device, which will have cameras and microphones for environmental detection but no screen display, is similar in size to an iPod Shuffle, TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said. It can be worn around the neck and will likely connect to PCs and smartphones to utilize their display capabilities. Kuo's industry checks show the device entering mass production in 2027, with assembly and shipping taking place outside of China to reduce political risks.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - May 22, 2025
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - May 22, 2025
Solar stocks plunge after U.S. House passes Trump tax bill; Sunrun sinks 39%
Solar company shares including Enpha (NASDAQ:RUN) and SolarEdge Technologies (SEDG) fell sharply in early trading Thursday as a result of the tax and spending bill that narrowly passed the Republican-led House of Representatives, which could end numerous clean energy subsidies.
President Trump's "big beautiful bill" would eliminate funding established under the Biden Administration's Inflation Reduction Act and repeal grants intended to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions or purchase electric heavy-duty vehicles.
Among the changes included in the bill that still needs approval in the U.S. Senate was revised language that would end certain tax credits for solar and wind energy by 2028 instead of a slower phaseout through 2031; in the new proposed timeline, solar or wind projects must begin construction within 60 days of the bill's enactment and finish construction by year-end 2028 to remain eligible for tax credits.
The legislation also would remove the 30% federal tax credit for taxpayers who install solar rooftop systems.
While the industry anticipated the gradual phaseout of solar and wind tax credits, the new version of the bill accelerates the timeline, Raymond James analyst Pavel Molchanov told Reuters.
The bill is "worse than feared" for clean energy, Jeffries analyst said, but "we don't expect this to last into Senate draft."
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - May 22, 2025
#SOL #BTC #Kraken #Solana #Bitcoin
[Newsletter Exclusive] Apple, Tesla, Nvidia said to be offered as tokenized stocks on crypto exchange Kraken
Crypto exchange Kraken is planning to start offering tokenized versions of Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA), Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) and other high-profile stocks for its non-U.S. customers, according to a media report dated Thursday, a move that would further blur the line between traditional finance and digital assets.
These so-called tokenized equities give non-U.S. Kraken users easier access to U.S. stocks, with 24/7 trading that continues even when U.S. markets are closed -- just like bitcoin (BTC-USD) and ether (ETH-USD).
The launch is expected to arrive in the weeks ahead, the Wall Street Journal reported, with the tokens debuting in Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia.
Global firms are increasingly embracing tokenized assets, drawn by the promise of lower trading costs and greater transparency than legacy systems offer. Tokenization involves converting real-world assets, such as property or stocks, into digital tokens that exist on a blockchain.
U.S.-based Kraken is planning to tokenize more than 50 stocks and exchange-traded funds, such as the index fund SPDR S&P 500 ETF (NYSEARCA:SPY), the WSJ said. The tokens, which Kraken is calling "xStocks," will trade on the Solana blockchain network.
Each xStocks token represents a real share, with Backed Finance -- Kraken's partner company -- buying the actual stocks to back the tokens, according to the newspaper. Holders will be able to redeem the tokens for their equivalent cash value.
The move leaves Kraken in deeper competition with stock and crypto trading app Robinhood Markets (HOOD), which is reportedly working on a blockchain platform to let European-based retail investors trade U.S. assets like equities.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - May 22, 2025
SPY 0.00%↑ QQQ 0.00%↑ DIA 0.00%↑ VGK 0.00%↑
Trump threatens EU with 50% tariff, Europe strikes back
In a post on Truth Social on Friday, the US president attacked the EU for what he alleged were unfair trade practices and said negotiations over a new deal were failing.
“Therefore I am recommending a straight 50% Tariff on the European Union, starting on June 1, 2025.”
The EU fired back later on Friday, saying it would “defend our interests”. “EU-US trade is unmatched and must be guided by mutual respect, not threats”, the bloc’s trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič said on X after a phone call with his US counterparts.
Šefčovič added that he was “committed to securing a deal that works for both”.
Donald Trump said he was “not looking for a deal” with the EU, hours after he announced plans to impose a 50 per cent tariff on imports from the bloc next month.
Link to FT News Article - May 23, 2025
JPM 0.00%↑ BAC 0.00%↑ C 0.00%↑ WFC 0.00%↑ #BTC #ETH
[Newsletter Exclusive] Big banks explore possibility of issuing joint stablecoin - report
Top U.S. banks are looking into potentially teaming up to issue a joint stablecoin, The Wall Street Journal has reported, citing people familiar with the matter, signaling that traditional and cryptocurrency finance may be moving closer together.
The early conceptual discussions have involved companies co-owned by JPMorgan Chase (NYSE:JPM), Bank of America (NYSE:BAC), Citigroup (NYSE:C), Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC) and other large lenders. Those include Early Warning Services, which runs the digital payment network Zelle, and the payments system called Clearing House.
A final decision on the matter would depend on legislative actions for stablecoins and if there's enough demand for such assets.
Stablecoins are pegged to a reference asset like fiat currency, commodities or other financial instruments. Stablecoins could help speed up routine transactions like cross-border payments, although there is some skepticism about the assets' security and regulatory implications.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - May 23, 2025
AAPL 0.00%↑ INQQ 0.00%↑ $SSNLF
Apple dives as Trump says tariffs must be paid on iPhones not made in US
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) shares fell 2.5% in premarket trading on Friday after President Trump said the tech giant would have to pay 25% tariffs on iPhones not made in the U.S.
“I have long ago informed Tim Cook of Apple that I expect their iPhone’s that will be sold in the United States of America will be manufactured and built in the United States, not India, or anyplace else,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “If that is not the case, a Tariff of at least 25% must be paid by Apple to the U.S. Thank [sic] your for your attention to this matter!”
Tariffs on all smartphones not built in the U.S., notably those from Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Samsung (OTCPK:SSNLF), are coming by the end of June, President Trump said on Friday.
Speaking to reporters inside the White House, Trump reiterated his stance that Apple can build iPhones in the U.S. — “It's computerized,” Trump said, perhaps a reference to iPhone's manufacturing plants.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - May 23, 2025
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - May 23, 2025
ENPH 0.00%↑ FSLR 0.00%↑ ARRY 0.00%↑ NXT 0.00%↑
[Newsletter Exclusive] Solar stocks in partial snapback as Senators say clean energy cuts in House bill won't fly
Enphase Energy (ENPH) +4.6% after tumbling nearly 20% a day earlier when it was the biggest loser on the S&P 500.
Other clean energy names showing at least partial recoveries Friday include First Solar (FSLR) +2.6% & Array Technologies (ARRY) +2.1%.
The final House bill represents "a worst case scenario for solar," particularly for Sunrun (NASDAQ:RUN), followed by Enphase (ENPH) and SolarEdge (NASDAQ:SEDG), according to Wells Fargo analysts led by Michael Blum.
Array (ARRY) and Nextracker (NXT) also are hurt, but Blum believes utility scale solar demand is "secular, and there's significant headroom to raise PPA prices even without tax credits," while First Solar (FSLR) is less affected as the House bill maintained 45X credits, although "the appeal of domestic panels diminishes if developers are unable to qualify for domestic content/ITC credits."
The bill now moves to the Senate, where some Republican senators suggest the House's draconian cuts to former President Biden's climate landmark Inflation Reduction Act would be changed.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - May 23, 2025
NVDA 0.00%↑ ORCL 0.00%↑ #OpenAI #Stargate #G42
Oracle plans to spend $40B on Nvidia chips to power OpenAI data center: report
Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) plans to spend about $40B on Nvidia's (NASDAQ:NVDA) high-end chips to power OpenAI's new Texas data center, according to a report by the Financial Times.
The data center will be the first constructed as part of the $500B U.S. Stargate Project, according to the report. The 1.2 GW data center will be located in Abilene, Texas, and will be one of the largest in the world. Oracle will purchase 400,000 of Nvidia's GB200 chips for training and running artificial intelligence applications. The new data center is expected to start operations by the middle of 2026.
Earlier this week, it was announced that OpenAI, Nvidia, Oracle, SoftBank, Cisco Systems (CSCO) and G42 are collaborating to build Stargate UAE. The 1-GW compute cluster will be built by G42 and operated by OpenAI and Oracle. That project will also utilize Nvidia's Grace Blackwell chips.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - May 23, 2025
Disclosure: We own positions in some/all of the tickers mentioned in this article.
