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US Market Lags Europe Once AI Stocks Are Stripped Out

Stripping AI-related stocks out of the US market erases its lead over Europe, with an index of the so-called old economy gaining just 5.5% since Jan. 1 versus roughly 5.6% for Europe's STOXX 600, while the full S&P 500 has gained roughly 13.5% and added roughly $9 trillion in market capitalization. BNP Paribas economists James Egelhof and Andrew Husby wrote to clients that the bloc has probably missed out on the AI investment boom, though they noted the US was outperforming Europe before OpenAI's ChatGPT launched in November 2022. Global AI investments are expected to exceed $1 trillion this year and grow to roughly $1.4 trillion in 2027, per Bank of America research, yet the US and Canada account for roughly 60% of new data center capacity additions in 2026 against Europe's approximately 10% share, per Goldman Sachs. The US hosts roughly three-quarters of global computing capacity while the eurozone hosts only 5%, per ECB data, and AI investment should add roughly 0.1 percentage point to European GDP growth in 2026, per Goldman Sachs. ECB president Christine Lagarde said Europe will pay for this boom whether or not it shares in the growth, while BNP's Egelhof and Husby argued AI has the potential to tear down many barriers constraining EU output growth.

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Alibaba Plans New AI Cloud Regions in Europe and Spain Data Centers

Alibaba Group Holding outlined a global AI cloud expansion for 2026 that includes new AI-focused cloud regions across Europe and early stage data center projects in Spain. The company also announced a partnership with Sands China to deploy embodied AI robots and spatial intelligence systems at a flagship resort. The buildout is part of a broader push to move from merchant-focused tools toward becoming a compute provider, with plans for 20 gigawatts of capacity plus custom chips. The article notes that profit margins have already moved from 14.8% to 7%, and that the heavy AI and cloud spending weighs on EBITDA as Alibaba trades short term earnings for a larger infrastructure role.

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9988.HK · Capital · Neutral Heavy AI/cloud spending weighs on EBITDA and margins fell from 14.8% to 7%, offsetting the expansion's long-term infrastructure ambitions.

9988.HK · Technology · Positive Alibaba outlined new AI-focused cloud regions in Europe and Spain data centers plus custom chips, expanding its compute-provider capabilities.

1928.HK · Demand · Positive Alibaba partnership will deploy embodied AI robots and spatial intelligence systems at Sands China's flagship resort, a concrete adoption deal.

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Intel Tuned AI Packages Top 500 Million Conda Downloads

Intel expanded its collaboration with Anaconda to distribute Intel optimized AI, ML, and Python tools through the conda ecosystem, and Anaconda reported that Intel tuned packages available via conda have now surpassed 500 million cumulative downloads by developers and data scientists. Separately, ConnX launched a new integration that uses Intel edge computing technology to power real time shared intelligence in transportation and manufacturing settings. Intel is a US semiconductor giant with a reported market value of about $550.1b, designing and manufacturing chips and related computing products that sit underneath everything from data centers to industrial systems. The expanded collaboration aims to keep those tools easier to install and maintain as projects move from laptops to servers, helping keep Intel's CPUs and accelerators in the conversation when engineers decide where to build and optimize new AI workloads. Intel watchers will look for whether Intel and partners start naming specific projects and customers that standardize on Intel optimized conda packages or ConnX MaestroIQ on Intel Core Ultra Series 3 for production use.

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INTC · Demand · Positive Intel's optimized AI/ML/Python packages surpassed 500 million cumulative conda downloads, showing developer adoption of its tools.

Anaconda, Inc. · Demand · Positive Anaconda reported Intel-tuned packages in its conda ecosystem passed 500 million cumulative downloads, expanding its distribution reach.

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AMD CEO Lisa Su Says Chip Demand Outruns Supply, Plans Capacity Years Ahead

Advanced Micro Devices CEO Lisa Su said chip demand remains ahead of supply and expects it to stay very high for the next several years, speaking to reporters in Taipei on October 6. Su said AMD has increased supply through 2026 and plans a much bigger jump in 2027, with capacity now planned three to five years ahead. Her Asia trip included meetings with Foxconn and TSMC, followed by talks with memory makers in South Korea, as AI chips depend on large amounts of memory that constrain how many AMD can ship. Stifel raised its AMD target to $700 on October 5, arguing AI buildouts are limited by chip supply. AMD's forward non-GAAP P/E of 83.38x and forward price-to-sales ratio of 20.25x both sit at more than double their 5-year averages, while analysts expect EPS to rise about 82% in 2026, 107% in 2027 and 45% in 2028.

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AMD · Demand · Positive CEO Lisa Su says AMD's chip demand outruns supply and capacity is being planned years ahead, with supply increased through 2026 and a bigger jump in 2027.

AMD · Capital · Positive Stifel raised its AMD price target to $700, arguing AI buildouts are limited by chip supply.

2330.TW · Demand · Positive AMD's capacity expansion and supply plans involve meetings with TSMC, implying continued foundry demand from a major customer.

SF · Capital · Positive Stifel raised its AMD price target to $700, a positive analyst call for the firm's research franchise.

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Intel and Applied Materials Expand AI Chipmaking Partnership

Applied Materials and Intel announced on October 6 that they are expanding their partnership on next-generation AI chipmaking, working together on transistors, the wiring that connects them, and advanced packaging, including Intel's Foveros technology for stacking chips in 3D. Teams will work out of Applied's EPIC Center in Silicon Valley and Intel's research campus in Oregon, with Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan saying the goal is to move new technology from the lab into high-volume U.S. production faster. Intel CFO Dave Zinsner has said packaging can reach 40% gross margins, and some deals could be worth billions of dollars a year, though industry reports linking Intel to potential advanced packaging deals with major cloud customers have not been publicly confirmed. Intel trades at a forward non-GAAP P/E of 73.94x, about 20% above its 5-year average, and a forward price-to-sales ratio of 9.37x versus an average of 3.17x, while carrying about $21 billion in net debt. Applied Materials trades at a forward non-GAAP P/E of 41.47x and a forward price-to-sales ratio of 12.29x, and unlike Intel it is net cash positive, with management expecting packaging revenue to grow more than 70% in calendar 2026.

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INTC · Technology · Positive Intel expands partnership with Applied Materials on next-gen AI chipmaking including Foveros 3D stacking, aiming to move new technology into high-volume U.S. production faster.

AMAT · Demand · Positive Applied Materials expands AI chipmaking partnership with Intel, working on transistors, wiring, and advanced packaging, with management expecting packaging revenue to grow over 70% in 2026.

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Apple to Ship HomePad Screen on October 13 Without Enterprise Siri

Apple will host its Welcome Home event in Tribeca on October 13, unveiling the HomePad, a device expected to feature a 6-inch square display, the A18 chip, and Face ID, with a rumored price point of $350. The hardware arrives without the conversational, multi-step HomeKit agent that was meant to power it, now delayed until late 2026 or early 2027, leaving only notification summaries and natural language search for HomeKit Secure Video at launch. As of October 11, Siri AI has reached its 28th day since the September 14 beta launch with no enterprise tier, no administrative control, no audit logging, and no SSO, and IT departments are actively blocking or disabling it. Competitors have moved faster: Meta's Muse, launched September 8, has 1.1 million installs and three pricing tiers at free for 100 million tokens per week, $20 per month for Power, and $100 per month for Maximum, plus an Enterprise Platform led by former MongoDB CEO CJ Desai, while xAI's GrokBot has roughly 400,000 users after its August beta launch and is embedded in Cursor Premium Teams at $120 per seat per month. Ketan Karkhanis, CEO of ThoughtSpot, said on CNBC on October 7 that enterprise-scale agentic workflow adoption is still in its early chapters, and the October 13 event will show whether Apple offers any roadmap or timeline for enterprise-grade Siri or cedes the market to rivals that have already shipped the governance layer.

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AAPL · Technology · Negative HomePad ships October 13 without the conversational multi-step HomeKit agent, and Siri AI still lacks enterprise tier, admin controls, audit logging, and SSO, with IT departments blocking it.

META · Competition · Positive Meta's Muse has 1.1 million installs, three pricing tiers, and an Enterprise Platform, moving faster than Apple's delayed enterprise Siri.