Alpha Coverage #124
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This Week’s Alpha Coverage: YouTube Playlist & Weekly Compilation.
Editor’s Pick:
BMNR 0.00%↑ #ETH
[News] BitMine Immersion ramps up ether holdings to $6.6B in past week
BitMine Immersion Technologies (NYSE:BMNR) expanded its ether (ETH-USD) holdings to $6.61B in the past week from $4.96B only a week earlier, it disclosed on Monday.
At Aug. 17, the company's crypto holdings comprised 1.52M ether (ETH-USD) at $4,326 each, as well as 192 bitcoin (BTC-USD).
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Aug. 18, 2025
[News] Energy Fuels produces first kg of dysprosium oxide at White Mesa mill
Energy Fuels (NYSE:UUUU) +2.7% pre-market Thursday after saying it produced its first kilogram of dysprosium oxide at pilot scale at its White Mesa mill in Utah, achieving a purity of 99.9% Dy, which is above the 99.5% commercial specification.
Energy Fuels (NYSE:UUUU) said it is the first U.S. company to both produce high-purity Dy oxide and publicly disclose actual production volumes and purities, and believes the quantity and purity of its Dy oxide production is unmatched in the U.S.
The company said it expects to continue producing dysprosium oxide at a rate of two kg/week at White Mesa, with pilot-scale production continuing until 15 kg of Dy oxide are produced; at that point, it plans to produce high purity terbium oxide, targeting Q4 2025 for the first samples of Tb oxide to be available for end-user validation.
Citing the ongoing success of the "heavy" REE pilot project, Energy Fuels (UUUU) said it plans to build and commission commercial-scale Dy, Tb, and potentially other "heavy" REE separation capacity at the White Mesa mill, which production starting as soon as Q4 2026.
Energy Fuels' high purity Dy oxide production is a major leap toward securing a U.S. supply of 'heavy' rare earth oxides for a variety of commercial and defense uses," CEO Mark Chalmers said.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Aug. 21, 2025
GEV 0.00%↑ #RYCEY
[News] Sweden's Vattenfall to choose GE Vernova or Rolls-Royce to build SMR nuclear reactors
Vattenfall said it is planning a project with either five BWRX-300 reactors from GE Vernova (NYSE:GEV) or three Rolls-Royce (OTCPK:RYCEY) (OTCPK:RYCEF) SMR reactors to be built at the utility's existing Ringhals plant in southwest Sweden to provide a total output of ~1,500 MW; it is also considering building an additional 1,000 MW to replace two decommissioned reactors at Ringhals.
Sweden's parliament passed legislation earlier this year to finance a new generation of reactors, the first built in Sweden for more than 40 years and which the government says is necessary for energy security and achieving net zero emissions by 2045.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Aug. 21, 202
[News] Nvidia to halt work on China-focused H20 AI chip - report
Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) told some of its suppliers to suspend the production of its H20 AI chip, which was specifically designed for the Chinese market, according to a report by The Information.
This directive affects major component companies, including Amkor Technology (AMKR), responsible for the chip’s advanced packaging, and Samsung Electronics (OTCPK:SSNLF), which supplies high-bandwidth memory for these chips.
Additionally, Foxconn (OTCPK:FXCOF), involved with backend processing, was also requested to pause related work.
The move comes after a group of Chinese regulators advised major technology companies—including Tencent (OTCPK:TCEHY) (OTCPK:TCTZF), ByteDance (BDNCE), and Alibaba (BABA)—to suspend their orders of the H20 chip, citing security risks in response to comments made by Lutnick last month.
“We don’t sell them our best stuff, not our second-best stuff, not even our third-best,” Lutnick told CNBC on July 15, the day after the Trump administration lifted export controls, implemented in April, on H20 sales.
“You want to sell the Chinese enough that their developers get addicted to the American technology stack, that’s the thinking,” he added.
Some of China’s senior leaders found the comments “insulting”, leading the policymakers to seek ways to restrict Chinese tech groups from buying the processors, according to two people with knowledge of the latest regulatory decision-making.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Aug. 22, 2025
Link to FT News Article - Aug. 22, 2025
[YouTube/The Compound] Tom Lee Says It's Still Early | TCAF 205
Excellent episode as always, grounding us with data. The par on BitMine Immersion and Ethereum got me very bullish. Must Listen.
Link to Full Video (01:20 Hours) - Aug 22, 2025
News, Facts, Analyst & Market Commentary - Short Reads:
#FXCOF #SFTBF
Foxconn, SoftBank to manufacture data centre tools in Ohio for Stargate project: report
Foxconn Technology (OTCPK:FXCOF) said it plans to make data center equipment with SoftBank Group (OTCPK:SFTBY) (OTCPK:SFTBF) at the Taiwan-based company's former electric vehicle factory in Ohio, part of the Stargate project to advance U.S. AI infrastructure, Reuters reported.
Foxconn Chairman Young Liu told reporters that Softbank has bought the Lordstown site and that Foxconn will continue operating the site through a venture the two companies will establish, the report added.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Aug. 18, 2025
China's rare earth shipments rebound to highest since January
MP Materials (NYSE:MP) -5.5% and USA Rare Earth (NASDAQ:USAR) -8.9% in Monday’s trading as China's exports of rare earth products including magnets extended their recovery in July.
Shipments reached their highest since January, with volumes sold overseas surging 69% to 6,422 tons in July, according to Bloomberg calculations.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Aug. 18, 2025
Google picks Tennessee as site for first small modular reactor; energy coming in 2030
The Tennessee deal could result in Google obtaining 500 megawatts of nuclear capacity for its data centers and will use Kairos Power's advanced nuclear reactor, via a deal between Kairos Power and Tennessee Valley Authority. It will be used to deliver electricity to Google data centers in the state and in Alabama.
In October, Google signed a deal to buy power from multiple small modular reactors to meet electricity demand for artificial intelligence.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Aug. 18, 2025
Tesla's long-wheeled, six-seater Model Y L 'coming soon' to China - report
To bolster sluggish sales and increase its competitiveness in the country, Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) will launch the Model Y L in China, a six-seat, long-wheeled version of the Model Y.
The new design – which extends the distance between the front and rear axles over a standard version – is intended to appeal to the Chinese consumer, where long-wheeled vehicles are favored.
According to Reuters, Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) announced the upcoming launch Monday on social media platform Weibo, having previously registered plans to introduce a new model in the country. The company also plans a longer-range, rear-wheel drive Model 3 in China.
Tesla’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) sales in China were down 8.4% in July, falling further behind competitor BYD (OTCPK:BYDDF) (OTCPK:BYDDY) whose BYD Song remains the best-selling electric vehicle in China.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Aug. 18, 2025
Archer Aviation reaches a milestone with a 55-mile test flight
The Midnight flight covered approximately 55 miles in 31 minutes at speeds exceeding 126 mph from the company's Salinas, California, test facility. The flight was carried out using a conventional takeoff and landing approach.
Archer Aviation said the flight marked a significant milestone in its envelope expansion program and brings the company closer to FAA certification in the U.S. and commercial launch plans in the UAE.
Test flights conducted by Archer Aviation (NYSE:ACHR) during the preceding week also reached speeds nearing 150 mph across diverse patterns, further showcasing the aircraft's advancing capabilities.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Aug. 18, 2025
Nextracker hits all-time intraday high as Guggenheim upgrades to Buy
Nextracker (NASDAQ:NXT) +9% to an all-time intraday high $68.75 in Monday's trading as Guggenheim upgrades shares to Buy from Neutral with a $74 price target, believing that safe harbor clarifications from the IRS were good news for tracker suppliers like NXT.
Of all the subsectors in energy transition affected by Friday's surprise release of updated safe-harbor rules from the IRS, Guggenheim analyst Joseph Osha thinks tracker companies are positioned to benefit the most, and to the extent it is possible to accelerate projects sufficiently to meet the onsite physical work requirements set out under the new IRS rules, tracker companies should benefit, with IRS language specifically calling out racking installation as activity that meets the physical work test.
However, the July 2026 deadline is tight, and there will be limitations to how much onsite work can actually get done by then, the analyst said.
Importantly, Osha said the IRS rules also contain language allowing "off-site work of a significant nature" to qualify as a project as long as the work in question is tied to a specific project, specifically noting "mounting equipment, support structures such as racks and rails, inverters and transformers and other power conditioning equipment."
For tracker suppliers like Nextracker (NASDAQ:NXT), Osha said he sees a significant opportunity to launch manufacturing work for the next several years even if equipment is not on site until after July 2026, also noting that tracker companies, with domestic supply chains in place already, are the least likely to be affected by foreign entities of concern (FEOC) issues and the most likely to benefit as developers work to stay within FEOC limits.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Aug. 18, 2025
Nvidia's robotics stack being used by over 2M developers
Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) said on Monday that more than 2 million developers are now using the Nvidia robotics stack.
Since the launch of the Nvidia Jetson platform in 2014, a growing ecosystem of over 150 hardware systems, software and sensor partners have joined the developer community to help enable more than 7,000 customers to adopt edge AI across industries, the company said in a blog post.
The U.S. AI giant noted that the next-generation Nvidia Jetson Thor platform is built for physical AI and humanoid robotics.
It supports any popular AI framework and generative AI model and is compatible with the company's software stack from cloud to edge, including Nvidia Isaac for robotics simulation and development, Isaac GR00T humanoid robot foundation models, Nvidia Metropolis for vision AI and Nvidia Holoscan for real-time sensor processing.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Aug. 18, 2025
First Solar soars 10% as UBS taps as top pick on positive IRS guidance
First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) +10.3% to its highest in 10 months as UBS named the solar panel maker as a Top Pick following fresh IRS guidance that largely preserved 2030 tax credits for the solar industry, saying the decision clears a cloud that has hung over the sector for more than a year.
UBS analysts led by Jon Windham said demand for U.S. utility-scale solar projects is outpacing supply, fueled in part by the build-out of AI data centers with 100% clean energy targets, providing potential upside to volume growth and increased certainty of demand for the U.S. solar industry, and U.S. hardware suppliers are well positioned given domestic tax credit support and tariff protection.
Windham and his UBS team estimate First Solar’s (NASDAQ:FSLR) adjusted earnings will climb to $32/share by 2027, up from $12/share last year, and anticipates potential upward earnings revisions for First Solar in 2026 and beyond from accretive capital deployment, including the possible announcement of finishing line capacity in the near term.
UBS also pointed to Nextracker (NXT) and Sunrun (RUN) as preferred names in the current market environment.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Aug. 18, 2025
Voyager invests in Latent betting on edge computing and Golden Dome efforts; shares rise
Voyager Technologies (NYSE:VOYG) is investing in Latent AI, betting on its edge computing and defense intelligence programs
“We’re making the leap from merely collecting data at the edge to understanding it instantly, putting mission intelligence where the mission happens in real time.”, Voyager CEO Taylor said in a statement
The investment will enhance Voyager’s ability to deliver faster targeting, sharper situational awareness and decisive advantage.
Plans to cultivate a larger partner ecosystem, speed up innovation cycles and deliver improved edge intelligence to defense, space and industrial customers.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Aug. 18, 2025
Nvidia says Blackwell GPUs coming to GeForce Now cloud gaming service
Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) said on Monday that its Blackwell line of GPUs will be coming to its GeForce Now cloud gaming service.
The update will bring Nvidia's GeForce RTX 5080-class GPUs to the cloud, including its NVIDIA DLSS 4 Multi-Frame Generation, which allows streaming content at a 5K resolution.
The GeForce Now library will now have more than 4,500 games to play, including some AAA-rates games, Nvidia added.
“Bringing the NVIDIA Blackwell architecture, one of the world’s most important computer graphics innovations, to GeForce NOW represents the biggest leap in cloud gaming ever,” Nvidia CEO and founder Jensen Huang said in a statement. “With Blackwell, GeForce NOW offers even more stunning graphics, the fastest frame rates and negligible latency to turn any device into a high-quality gaming rig that rivals nearly every other product on the market today.”
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Aug. 18, 2025
#OpenAI EPI 0.00%↑
OpenAI launches ChatGPT Go subscription plan in India—its cheapest offering so far
Microsoft-backed OpenAI on Tuesday launched ChatGPT Go in India—a country-specific subscription plan that is priced close to $4.6 per month (₹399), making it the company's cheapest offering so far globally.
The rollout is part of OpenAI’s strategy to expand in its second-largest market globally and to make AI more affordable and accessible to a broader user base.
The announcement follows OpenAI's recent price changes to its current plans in India, where Plus now costs ₹1,999 and Pro costs ₹19,900 per month. The Go plan is marketed as a reasonably priced starting point for users who wish to access AI tech without committing to more expenses.
The low-cost offering aligns with CEO Sam Altman's latest comments that the company will launch more products and services tailored for the country. Earlier this year, Altman met with India's IT minister to discuss plans for an affordable AI environment.
In terms of users, India is currently OpenAI's second-largest market after the U.S. and could overtake it in the near future, Altman had asserted.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Aug. 19, 2025
Apple expands India production for U.S.-bound iPhone 17 models, Bloomberg reports
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) is reportedly ramping up iPhone production in India at five factories, including a pair of recently opened plants.
The company is producing all four iPhone 17 models in India ahead of their debut next month, marking the first time that all new variations—including pro-level versions—will ship from the South Asian country from the get-go, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, citing people with knowledge of the matter.
The tech giant has increased the number of local factories making iPhones after shifting the vast majority of the device’s production for the U.S. market to India from China in efforts to lessen the impact of tariffs.
In the four months starting in April, $7.5 billion worth of iPhones were exported from India. It marks an acceleration from the $17 billion worth of iPhones exported from India over the entire previous fiscal year, the report said.The expansion includes Tata Group’s plant in Tamil Nadu state’s Hosur and Foxconn Technology Group’s (OTCPK:FXCOF) production facility near the Bangalore airport, which have both come online recently.
In a sign of Tata’s increasing role as an Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) partner, plants controlled by the local conglomerate will account for as much as half of India’s iPhone output over the next two years, said the people.
The Trump administration has so far excluded electronics such as the iPhone from broad sectoral tariffs, though they may still face duties from individual countries.
U.S. President Donald Trump urged Apple's (AAPL) CEO Tim Cook earlier this year to stop building facilities in India, targeting the company's intention to diversify its manufacturing footprint beyond China.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Aug. 19, 2025
Nvidia said to develop new AI chip for China that beats the H20
The new chip, tentatively called the B30A, will feature a single-die design expected to deliver about half the raw computing power of the dual-die configuration in Nvidia’s flagship B300 accelerator, the sources said.
The chip is expected to include high-bandwidth memory and Nvidia’s NVLink technology for fast data transfers between chips, features also found in the H20 model.
The specifications of the chip are still being finalized, but Nvidia aims to provide samples to Chinese customers for testing as early as next month, the sources added.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Aug. 19, 2025
U.S. consumers, businesses shoulder the costs of tariffs, Pantheon Macro says
U.S. import prices gained 0.4% M/M in July, stronger than the 0.1% increase expected.
Prices have risen by 0.5% since Trump’s election win in November and by 0.2% since March, after which the bulk of the new tariffs were announced.
“The textbooks, and many economists—including the President’s nominee for the Fed Board of Governors, Stephen Miran—had suggested that the uplift to prices for consumers and businesses would be at least partly offset by an appreciation in the U.S. dollar and foreign exporters cutting their pre-tariff prices to maintain market share,” Samuel Tombs, chief U.S. economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics said.
However, the dollar has depreciated considerably, and import prices have remained resilient despite goods imports dropping back very sharply in Q2, suggesting a steep decline in prices ahead is unlikely.
The resilience in the import prices has been broad-based, with prices for imports from Canada seeming to swing wildly in line with commodity prices, said Tombs, adding, “But import inflation for manufactured goods from both the EU and Mexico has slowed only marginally recently, and now seems to be climbing again.”
Chinese exporters, who are facing some of the heaviest U.S. tariffs, have trimmed prices only slightly compared to pre-tariff trends.
“The big picture, however, is that the weaker U.S. dollar provides another reason to think that a significant fall in pre-tariff import prices in the coming months is unlikely. That would leave a big jump in costs for U.S. consumers and businesses due to tariffs, with no real offset elsewhere,” Tombs said.
But as the U.S. currency slides, Pantheon warns import price inflation could creep toward 5% by early 2026, from just 1% in July.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Aug. 19, 2025
NVDA 0.00%↑ AVGO 0.00%↑ MU 0.00%↑ NXPI 0.00%↑
Chips have more upside, so 'keep buying the dips,' Citi says
“We expect the SOX index to continue to climb higher driven by strong earnings from AI-related companies such as Nvidia (NVDA), Broadcom (AVGO) and Micron (MU) in addition to increasingly positive data points from the analog space,” analyst Christopher Danely wrote in a note to clients.
The firm's top pick is Microchip (NASDAQ:MCHP), but it also has Buy ratings on Texas Instruments (TXN), Broadcom, Micron, Analog Devices (ADI) and NXP Semiconductors (NXPI).
AI is still a bright spot, with companies such as Meta (META), Microsoft (MSFT) and Google (GOOG) showing an $18B increase in capex for 2025.
“We expect continued upside for AI-exposed stocks such as AVGO (31% of sales), MU (17% of sales) and NVDA (89% of sales). Analog upturn remains intact and still early — Analog companies guided 3Q25 sales up 6% QoQ on average, largely in line with seasonality,” Danely added. “While there appears to be some tariff-related pull-ins in the Auto and Industrial end markets (combined 23% of semi sales), we believe the analog upturn remains intact, driven by low inventory, depressed margins, and improving demand.”
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Aug. 19, 2025
Adobe launches AI-powered Acrobat Studio
Adobe (NASDAQ:ADBE) on Tuesday launched Acrobat Studio globally with a 14-day free trial, offering unlimited access to PDF Spaces, AI Assistants and Adobe Express Premium.
The software company is offering early access to Acrobat Studio - which combines Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Express, and AI agents - at $24.99/month for individuals and $29.99/month for teams
Acrobat Studio comes with access to Adobe Express Premium’s entire suite of tools and assets, including professionally designed templates, brand kits and Adobe Firefly-powered tools like Text-to-Video and Text-to-Image so you can bring your message to life in rich and compelling visualizations with the ease of generative AI, said the software company.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Aug. 19, 2025
INTC 0.00%↑ MU 0.00%↑ TSM 0.00%↑
Trump administration considers taking 10% stake in Intel as plan develops: report
The Trump administration's potential plan for the U.S. government to invest in Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) continues to develop, as the latest detail includes taking a 10% ownership stake in the chipmaker, according to Bloomberg.
Taking a 10% stake in Intel would require about $10.5B and make the U.S. government the largest shareholder. The Administration is considering using funds from the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act to pay for the investment, according to the report, which cited people familiar with the issue. However, a precise size in the stake and the best route to fund it remains up in the air.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is exploring whether similar arrangements could apply to companies including Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU), Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (NYSE:TSM) and Samsung Electronics (OTCPK:SSNLF).
Lutnick has been pushing the equity idea, which President Donald Trump supports, the sources said. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is also involved in the discussions, though Lutnick is leading the process.
Much of the $52.7 billion in CHIPS Act funding has yet to be disbursed. Micron is the largest U.S. recipient of CHIPS funding after Intel (INTC).
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed on Tuesday that Lutnick is negotiating with Intel on a deal that would give the government a 10% stake.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Aug. 18, 2025
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Aug. 19, 2025
Amazon plans to switch to Android OS for new tablet models: report
Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) plans to switch from its in-house operating system to an Android OS when it releases its new line of Fire tablets next year, according to Reuters.
The change to Android as the Fire's OS appears to be a response to years of customer and application developer complaints over its in-house system, the report said. The reliance on a custom OS has limited the variety and number of apps available for the Fire tablet.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Aug. 20, 2025
Uranium, nuclear stocks extend declines as Kazakhstan plans to raise production
The KATKO joint venture, owned by France's Orano Mining and Kazakhstan's Kazatomprom, said it plans to ramp up uranium production at the Moinkum deposit to 4K metric tons/year starting in 2026, returning to 2021 levels after output was reduced to slightly more than 2K tons/year during 2017-24 due to falling global uranium prices.
Markets also may be factoring in the possibility of a ceasefire in Ukraine and a thaw in U.S.-Russia relations, which would lower the perceived likelihood of sanctions targeting Russia’s strategic nuclear sector; without such restrictions, U.S. uranium producers still face competition from Russian supply.
The uranium sector selloff also may be linked to broader market concerns, as some analysts have pointed to an "AI winter" that will see cooling tech valuations and sparking caution across growth-sensitive sectors, including energy.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Aug. 20, 2025
GOOG 0.00%↑ TSM 0.00%↑ #SSNLF
Google's new Tensor G5 TPU will be made by Taiwan Semiconductor in change
The search giant said the latest chip in its tensor processing unit series will be made by Taiwan Semiconductor (NYSE:TSM), whereas the previous versions were made by Samsung (OTCPK:SSNLF).
The Tensor G5 will use Taiwan Semi's latest 3 nanometer manufacturing process and is roughly 34% faster than the previous Tensor chip, Google said.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Aug. 20, 2025
Oceaneering International secures $86 million contract from the U.S. Navy
Oceaneering International (NYSE:OII) announced on Wednesday that the Marine Services Division of its Aerospace and Defense Technologies segment has been awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract by the Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, for the repair of valves and actuators in support of the U.S. Navy’s Corporate Component Repair Program (“CCRP”) for Virginia-class and Los Angeles-class submarines.
Oceaneering said it is one of three suppliers selected for this program.
The base contract, valued at up to $86 million, has a two-year initial term with provisions for three additional option years. Work will be performed at Oceaneering’s facilities.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Aug. 20, 2025
CEG 0.00%↑ NEE 0.00%↑ TLN 0.00%↑ VST 0.00%↑
Constellation Energy, NextEra, NRG, Talen and Vistra rated new Buys at Melius Research
"The transformation of Energy into Intelligence is one of the most profound economic shifts we will likely witness in our lifetimes, and the transformation is only in the initial phase" of shifting leadership toward a new group of winners that include nuclear and natural gas independent power producers such as Constellation Energy (NASDAQ:CEG), NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE), NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG), Talen Energy (NASDAQ:TLN), and Vistra (NYSE:VST), Melius Research said in a new report Wednesday.
Constellation (NASDAQ:CEG) is the leading provider of nuclear power and generates ~10% of all the power generated in the U.S., and Melius said the Calpine acquisition will strengthen its already formidable market presence.
NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE) combines two business models - a regulated utility (Florida Power & Light) with an IPP arm (NextEra Energy Resources) - and is the world's largest provider of renewable energy, investing heavily in batteries, hydrogen and grid modernization.
NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG) has an integrated generation and retail model supplying 16 GW of generation capacity including natural gas, coal, nuclear, solar and wind, and supplies more than 8M residential and business customers.
Talen Energy (NASDAQ:TLN) has implemented a strategic transformation following bankruptcy in 2022, investing in data center-powered energy solutions, aligning with the rise of AI and cloud computing, and is repurposing legacy fossil sites for digital infrastructure rather than
retiring them.
Vistra (NYSE:VST) is a major player in the power markets with 41 GW of generation capacity including generation from nuclear, natural gas, coal, and solar, and it owns the Moss Landing energy storage facility in California, one of the world's largest battery storage systems.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Aug. 20, 2025
CMG 0.00%↑ #Zipline
Chipotle tests a burrito delivery by drone concept in Texas
Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) announced on Thursday that it is partnering with Zipline to fly digital orders to guests' locations in the greater Dallas region. For starters, only a few Zipline users will have access to the aerial delivery service ahead of what is anticipated to be a broader service launch in the coming weeks.
Chipotle (NYSE:CMG) said the new delivery option, called Zipotle, will use Zipline's fleet of quiet, zero-emission aircraft to make "super fast, convenient deliveries" that save customers' time and keep orders dine-in fresh.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Aug. 21, 2025
State Street joins JPMorgan's blockchain debt platform as first third-party custodian
State Street (NYSE:STT) has become the first third-party custodian on JPMorgan Chase's (NYSE:JPM) blockchain-based digital debt service, marking the move with a $100M commercial paper transaction, it said on Thursday.
As an onboarded custodian to the digital debt service, State Street can now offer clients access to debt instruments that are issued, settled and serviced using blockchain technology while maintaining the security and regulatory compliance standards expected from traditional custody services. The service is currently available only in the U.S.
The integration advances the broader trend of financial institutions adopting blockchain-based debt securities to enable precision-timed settlement, with T+0 settlement available as an option.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Aug. 21, 2025
First Solar, Enphase lead sector losers as Trump escalates renewable energy criticism
First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) and Enphase Energy (NASDAQ:ENPH) are two of Thursday's four biggest losers on the S&P 500, -6.8% and -4.6% respectively, a day after President Trump ripped solar companies and vowed to not issue any approvals for solar and wind projects under his administration, marking the first time the president has said directly that he would block new solar programs.
Trump accused solar and wind of driving "record breaking increases in electricity and energy costs" in states that rely on them, called renewable energy the "scam of the century," and said the Environmental Protection Agency will terminate "green slush funds riddled with waste and abuse."
Calling Trump's assertions "demonstrably wrong," American Clean Power CEO Jason Grumet said "the four states with the highest renewable generation all saw prices drop this year, and the 10 states with the lowest renewable penetration have all seen their prices increase."
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Aug. 21, 2025
Trump weighs using $2B in CHIPS Act funding for critical minerals - Reuters
The Trump administration is considering a plan to reallocate at least $2B from the CHIPS Act to fund critical minerals projects, Reuters reported Thursday.
The proposed move would take from funds already allocated by Congress for semiconductor research and chip factory construction, avoiding a fresh spending request.
It is not clear if the Trump administration aims to use CHIPS Act funds for grants or equity stakes in mining companies, but Commerce Secretary Lutnick reportedly aims to "get the $2 billion out the door" as soon as possible.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Aug. 21, 2025
Trump administration not seeking equity stakes in TSMC, Micron - report
The Trump administration is weighing equity stakes in some companies receiving CHIPS Act funding but does not plan to seek stakes in major investors like TSMC (NYSE:TSM) and Micron (NASDAQ:MU), Reuters reported, citing a White House official.
Earlier this week, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the government is considering a 10% stake in Intel (INTC) and could pursue similar deals with other grant recipients. “If we're going to give you the money, we want a piece of the action for the American taxpayer,” Lutnick told CNBC.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Aug. 22, 2025
Nvidia chief praises TSMC, says buying its stock is 'very smart'
Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang reached Taipei for a brief visit to meet with executives at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (NYSE:TSM), its key chip partner. He praised TSMC, saying anybody who buys a stake in the company would be “very smart.”
“Well, first of all, I think TSMC is one of the greatest companies in the history of humanity, and anybody who wants to buy TSMC stock is a very smart person,” Huang said.
Huang said that his primary reason for visiting Taiwan was to express gratitude to TSMC for their contributions to Nvidia's (NASDAQ:NVDA) Rubin, its next-generation AI chip platform.
"This is the first architecture in our history where every single chip is new and revolutionary," he said. "We've taped out all of the chips."
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Aug. 22, 2025
Intel confirms massive $11.1B investment by US government
The funding will come from several different avenues. Under the agreement, the U.S. will purchase $8.9B shares of Intel common stock. This will be funded by the remaining $5.7B in grants previously awarded, but not yet paid, by the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act. Another $3.2B will stem from the Secure Enclave program through the U.S. Department of Defense. The final $2.2B are grants Intel has already received from CHIPS.
Under the deal, the U.S. will buy 433.3M shares at $20.47 each. This equates to a 9.9% stake in Intel, making it the largest investor in the company. It will be a passive ownership, meaning no board representation or other types of governance rights will be grant. The government will also receive a five-year warrant, at $20 per share, for an additional 5% of Intel common shares, exercisable only if Intel ceases to own at least 51% of the foundry business.
Link to Seeking Alpha News Article - Aug. 22, 2025
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This weekly roundup is super helpful, thanks for putting all this togethr. The Trump solar commentary was pretty brutal for FSLR and ENPH, down 6.8% and 4.6% respectively is rough. I think what's interesting is that American Clean Power's pushback with actual data showing that states with highest renewable generation saw prices drop while lowest renewable penetration states saw prices increase. That's pretty compelling evidence against the administration's claims. For Enphase specifically, the -4.6% drop seems like more political noise than fundamental change. The residential solar market is still going to exist regardless of federal policy shifts, and ENPH's microinverter tech and battery storage platform are still best in class for that segmant. Wonder if this creates a buying opportunity once the political volatilty settles down.