Custom silicon is becoming a significant trend because hyperscalers are building their own chips to power AI, which can lead to more efficient and cost-effective solutions. Companies like Amazon, Microsoft, and Facebook are investing in custom silicon, potentially impacting hardware-focused firms like NVIDIA.
Broadcom's guidance implies a significant step function change in their business, driven by the growing demand for custom silicon. However, the guidance is optimistic and should be taken with a grain of salt, as market conditions and competition can shift rapidly.
The 'fateful eight' tech companies, which include Tesla, Apple, Google, and Microsoft, collectively make up $20 trillion in market cap and 40% of the S&P 500. Their performance is crucial because it drives broader market sentiment and can influence the direction of the NASDAQ and S&P 500.
NVIDIA's recent performance is viewed with skepticism because the hardware business is inherently boom and bust, and their large customers like hyperscalers are increasingly building custom silicon. This could limit NVIDIA's long-term growth and make their market cap gains unstable.
Microsoft's Copilot has not met investor expectations because it has not delivered the revenue acceleration or customer adoption that was hoped for. While Azure continues to grow, the software side of the business, particularly Copilot, is lagging, leading to concerns about Microsoft's AI strategy.
Google's search business is expected to remain resilient because it has a strong, habitual user base of 3 billion daily users. They only need to be 80% as good as the next best AI to maintain their position, and recent updates to their AI models, like Gemini 2, show promise.
The future of Uber and Lyft is uncertain because autonomous vehicles, particularly from Waymo and Tesla, could disrupt their business models. Uber's lack of a robust autonomy strategy and its dependency on Waymo for robo-taxis make it vulnerable to long-term decline.
Tesla's market cap surge is driven by investor optimism about the potential of full self-driving (FSD) and the company's perceived technological edge. However, the surge is seen as a surface-level reaction, not supported by strong fundamentals, and could be a bubble waiting to burst.
Apple's stock performance is a mix of strong fundamentals, such as growing gross margins and a robust services business, and market sentiment. The initial underperformance was partly due to a lack of clear AI strategy, but recent updates to Apple Intelligence have improved sentiment, even if the hardware business remains flat.
The tech sector is likely to experience significant pullbacks in 2025 because bull markets often have 10% to 20% corrections. Additionally, the concentration of market cap in a few large tech firms, macroeconomic uncertainties, and the speculative nature of AI investments can lead to volatile market conditions.
Dan Nathan and Gene Munster) of Deepwater Asset Management) discuss significant trends and market shifts observed in 2024 and their potential impact on 2025. They explore the rise of custom silicon, NVIDIA's growth versus AI competition, the macroeconomic uncertainties affecting the tech sector, and the concentrated market power of major tech firms, dubbed the 'fateful eight.' The conversation delves into performances of key companies like Tesla, Apple, Google, and Microsoft, examining their stock rallies, growth strategies, and the evolving AI landscape. The duo also discusses the future of autonomous vehicles and the competitive landscape for Uber and Lyft, emphasizing the precarious balance between hype and substantial advancements in AI and tech innovations.
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