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12 Feb 2026

Taiwan's AI-powered economy hits 8.6% growth as bubble fears and China threats loom large

Taiwan's economy surged 8.6% in 2024, fueled by global demand for artificial intelligence and TSMC's dominance in advanced chips. Exports to the U.S. jumped 78% as Nvidia expands operations on the island. But heavy reliance on the AI supply chain raises concerns about bubble risks similar to the dot-com crash, while geopolitical tensions with China continue to threaten the island's vital role in global semiconductor fabrication.

2 Sources

Anthropic captures 20% of business market as AI adoption accelerates to new highs

Anthropic reached a milestone in January, with one in five U.S. businesses now paying for its AI tools—up from one in 25 last year. The surge positions Anthropic as the fastest-growing AI tool while OpenAI maintains its lead at 36%. But this isn't a zero-sum game: 79% of OpenAI users also pay for Anthropic, suggesting businesses are willing to invest in multiple AI platforms as overall adoption reaches 47%.

2 Sources

SoftBank's AI investments deliver $1.62 billion profit as OpenAI stake drives turnaround

SoftBank Group swung back to profitability with $1.62 billion in net income for Q3, reversing a $369 billion yen loss from the previous year. The turnaround was driven primarily by a $4.2 billion gain from its OpenAI stake, part of $17 billion in total gains from the ChatGPT-maker. The technology investor sold its Nvidia position for $5.8 billion to deepen its focus on AI infrastructure and private AI platforms.

8 Sources

11 Feb 2026

Cisco Raises Revenue Forecast as Hyperscaler AI Demand Drives $2.1B in Infrastructure Orders

Cisco reported record Q2 revenue of $15.3 billion, up 10% year-over-year, fueled by explosive AI infrastructure demand from hyperscalers. The networking giant raised its full-year revenue forecast to $61.2-$61.7 billion and secured $2.1 billion in AI infrastructure orders from hyperscalers alone, reflecting triple-digit order growth. CEO Chuck Robbins highlighted momentum in Silicon One architecture and sovereign AI solutions as enterprises modernize networks for AI-era workloads.

4 Sources

Anthropic pledges to cover electricity costs driven by its AI data centers

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei announced the company will pay 100% of grid upgrade costs and cover electricity price increases caused by its data centers. The move follows growing concerns about rising electricity costs linked to energy-intensive data centers, with wholesale prices jumping 267% in five years in some areas. The pledge addresses mounting pressure from both political leaders and local communities worried about AI infrastructure's impact on utility bills.

16 Sources

EssilorLuxottica sells 7 million AI glasses in 2025, tripling sales as Meta partnership surges

EssilorLuxottica reported an 18% surge in fourth-quarter sales, driven by explosive demand for Ray-Ban Meta and Oakley smart glasses. The eyewear giant sold over 7 million AI-powered glasses in 2025, more than triple the combined sales from 2023 and 2024. Meta is now seeking to double production capacity to 20 million units this year to meet growing consumer demand.

2 Sources

Aehr Test Systems stock surges 33% on next-generation AI processor production order win

Aehr Test Systems (NASDAQ:AEHR) shares jumped 33% after announcing an initial production order from a leading hyperscaler for its Sonoma ultra-high-power test and burn-in systems. The order supports next-generation AI processors for data center applications, with delivery scheduled for summer 2026. This marks a significant validation of Aehr's technology in the rapidly expanding AI chip testing market.

3 Sources

Tower Semiconductor beats profit estimates as AI chip demand fuels $920M silicon photonics push

Israeli chipmaker Tower Semiconductor surpassed fourth-quarter profit expectations, posting 78 cents per share versus estimates of 68 cents. The company announced a $920 million total investment in silicon photonics technology to meet surging demand from data center operators building AI infrastructure, aiming to quintuple production capacity by late 2026.

2 Sources

China's Top Chipmaker Warns AI Chips and Data Centers Could Sit Idle Amid $3 Trillion Spending

Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp.'s co-CEO Zhao Haijun warns that companies racing to build 10 years' worth of data center capacity in just two years haven't fully thought through what these facilities will actually do. With AI investment projected to exceed $3 trillion over five years, the chipmaker warning raises concerns about potential overcapacity and echoes the dot-com bubble comparison.

2 Sources

Mistral AI commits $1.4 billion to build data centers in Sweden, marking Europe's AI autonomy push

French AI startup Mistral is investing 1.2 billion euros ($1.4 billion) in new data centers in Sweden, marking its first infrastructure investment outside France. The move signals a major step toward building independent AI capabilities in Europe as the continent races to establish tech sovereignty and reduce reliance on U.S. competitors like OpenAI.

6 Sources

Microsoft AI chief predicts artificial intelligence will automate most white-collar jobs in 18 months

Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman claims artificial intelligence will reach human-level performance on most professional tasks within 12 to 18 months, potentially automating roles in law, accounting, marketing, and project management. While some business leaders echo these warnings, skeptics point to studies showing limited productivity gains and question whether AI washing is driving premature layoffs.

12 Sources

Freshworks revenue forecast beats estimates as AI adoption accelerates despite profit concerns

Freshworks projected annual revenue above Wall Street estimates, driven by strong AI-driven software demand for customer support and IT services. However, the company's profit forecast fell short of expectations due to higher tax rates and strategic reinvestment. CEO Dennis Woodside defended against AI disruption concerns, citing competitive gains against ServiceNow and growing adoption of Freddy AI across 8,000 paying customers.

4 Sources

DRAM Shortage Fueled by AI Boom Sends Laptop Prices Soaring Through 2028

The AI boom has created a severe DRAM shortage, pushing memory prices up 80-90% in early 2026. Memory-chip makers like Micron, Samsung, and SK Hynix are shifting production to high-bandwidth memory for AI data centers, leaving consumer-grade memory scarce. Major laptop makers including Dell and Lenovo are raising prices 15-30%, with Intel's CEO warning there's no relief until 2028.

7 Sources

10 Feb 2026

Wealth Management Stocks Tumble as AI Tax-Planning Tool Sparks Disruption Fears Across Sector

Wealth management stocks took a sharp hit after startup Altruist unveiled an AI-powered tax-planning tool, triggering investor fears about disruption in the financial sector. Charles Schwab fell 7.4%, LPL Financial dropped 8.4%, and Raymond James declined 8.5%. But industry leaders and Wall Street analysts argue AI will enhance rather than replace financial advisors, calling the selloff an overreaction and a buying opportunity.

13 Sources

Microsoft Copilot reaches 15 million paid seats, but only 3.3% of users are actually paying

Microsoft disclosed that Microsoft 365 Copilot has 15 million paid seats, representing 160% year-over-year growth. However, this accounts for just 3.3% of the company's 450 million commercial Microsoft 365 users who have free access. The figures highlight a stark gap between Microsoft's $37.5 billion AI investment and actual paid adoption, raising questions about the return on investment for AI.

2 Sources

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