In today’s briefing:
- GitLab: How It Is Supercharging DevOps with Game-Changing AI & SaaS Expansion!
- Carving Out a Niche: The Case for Intel’s Foundry Strategy Beyond the TSMC Benchmark
- Jabil Inc’s AI Ambitions—Is An $8.5 Billion Bet On Data Centers The Ultimate Power Move?
- Oracle Corporation: Is The Demand for Oracle Databases Across Cloud Platforms Enough To Warrant Any Optimism?
- Alphabet’s Billion-Dollar Bet on Fusion Energy: What’s Powering Google’s Latest Moonshot?
- Last Week In Event SPACE: Shibaura, HKBN, NWD, Yichang HEC
- Taiwan Semiconductor (TSMC)’s $165 Billion Gamble: Will Its U.S. Expansion Undermine Its Global Edge?
- Clear Secure: ePassport Expansion & TSA PreCheck Growth Are Critical Growth Levers!
- Power Integrations: Geographic and Supply Chain Shifts Are Playing A Key Role In Its Growth Strategy!
- Accenture plc: A Billion-Dollar Acquisition Blitz For A Much-Needed Push In Tech Services!
GitLab: How It Is Supercharging DevOps with Game-Changing AI & SaaS Expansion!
- GitLab recently reported its financial results for the first quarter of fiscal year 2026, demonstrating a robust revenue increase of 27%, amounting to $214.5 million.
- The company’s non-GAAP operating margin reached a commendable 12.2%, a significant improvement from the previous year’s negative margin.
- GitLab’s CEO, Bill Staples, emphasized the strategic positioning of its AI-native, cloud-agnostic DevSecOps platform, which caters to the entire software development lifecycle and supports a unified data store for contextual AI.
Carving Out a Niche: The Case for Intel’s Foundry Strategy Beyond the TSMC Benchmark
- Tan’s continuation of IDM 2.0 marks a pragmatic recalibration. By focusing on margin recapture and tailored customer models, Intel’s ambitions are not just about competing with TSMC at scale.
- Intel’s 18A node was never intended as a mass-market foundry product; it was a strategic, internal milestone to reestablish process credibility, with commercial foundry ambitions anchored in 18A-P and 14A.
- Intel’s future hinges less on market share and more on executing a credible, margin-accretive foundry model. It could well emerge as a second-source alternative in a geopolitically fragmented supply chain.
Jabil Inc’s AI Ambitions—Is An $8.5 Billion Bet On Data Centers The Ultimate Power Move?
- Jabil Inc. presented a strong performance in its third quarter of fiscal year 2025, surpassing expectations in multiple financial metrics.
- The company reported net revenue of $7.8 billion, marking a 16% increase year-over-year and exceeding earlier guidance by $800 million.
- This boost was primarily attributed to the Intelligent Infrastructure sector, particularly in AI-related revenue, supporting robust demand in cloud and data center infrastructure markets.
Oracle Corporation: Is The Demand for Oracle Databases Across Cloud Platforms Enough To Warrant Any Optimism?
- Oracle Corporation has reported a strong performance for its fourth quarter and fiscal year 2025, surpassing expectations in terms of both revenue and earnings per share (EPS).
- The company’s results reflect significant momentum in its cloud transition, which has been a strategic focus for several years.
- On the positive side, Oracle has demonstrated robust growth across its cloud offerings.
Alphabet’s Billion-Dollar Bet on Fusion Energy: What’s Powering Google’s Latest Moonshot?
- Alphabet is making headlines once again—this time for a groundbreaking deal that could reshape the future of clean energy.
- In one of the largest commercial commitments yet to nuclear fusion, Google has signed an agreement with Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) to purchase 200 megawatts of electricity from the company’s first commercial fusion power plant, ARC, currently under development in Chesterfield County, Virginia.
- This deal marks a major endorsement of fusion power as a viable long-term solution to the surging energy needs of hyperscale technology companies.
Last Week In Event SPACE: Shibaura, HKBN, NWD, Yichang HEC
- Given the METI extension on FEFTA review on Shibaura (6957 JP), risks are slightly higher. <¥5,900 was a good buy on an incremental basis. ¥5,970 is OK but not spectacular.
- As expected (at least by me) – I Squared has withdrawn its Offer for HKBN Ltd (1310 HK).
- Re: New World Development (17 HK), this “rescue package” announcement – ~HK$88.2bn – should come as no surprise, as the alternative situation (liquidation/bankruptcy) and the ensuing optics were not great.
Taiwan Semiconductor (TSMC)’s $165 Billion Gamble: Will Its U.S. Expansion Undermine Its Global Edge?
- Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the world’s most advanced chipmaker and a linchpin in the global semiconductor supply chain, is making a historic push into the United States.
- With a combined $165 billion committed to building six fabs, two advanced packaging facilities, and an R&D center in Arizona, TSMC aims to address strong customer demand from U.S.-based tech giants like Apple, NVIDIA, AMD, Qualcomm, and Broadcom.
- The first fab, using 4nm technology, has entered high-volume production, and construction on the second and third fabs is underway.
Clear Secure: ePassport Expansion & TSA PreCheck Growth Are Critical Growth Levers!
- CLEAR has reported its fiscal first quarter results for 2025, showing a mixed performance that reflects both growth opportunities and some challenges.
- The company, known for its secure identity platform, emphasized continued progress in expanding its products and services, especially in the travel sector, while also navigating broader macroeconomic uncertainties.
- Starting with the positives, CLEAR reported strong membership growth, with total members on its network reaching 31.2 million, a 42.3% increase year-over-year.
Power Integrations: Geographic and Supply Chain Shifts Are Playing A Key Role In Its Growth Strategy!
- Power Integrations, Inc. reported Q1 revenues of $106 million, reflecting a 15% year-over-year increase, aligning with the mid-point of its guidance range.
- The company achieved a non-GAAP EPS of $0.31 and realized a strong cash flow, which supported its strategic decision to repurchase shares amidst market volatility.
- Each of the four primary end markets—consumer, computer, communications, and industrial—witnessed growth.
Accenture plc: A Billion-Dollar Acquisition Blitz For A Much-Needed Push In Tech Services!
- Accenture reported a strong third-quarter performance in fiscal 2025, surpassing revenue guidance with $17.7 billion, marking a 7% growth in local currency.
- The company maintained its role as a leader in generative AI (Gen AI), securing $1.5 billion in Gen AI bookings and generating over $700 million in related revenue.
- Accenture also expanded its operating margin by 40 basis points, with EPS growing by 12% to $3.49, reflecting robust financial health.
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