President Donald Trump imposed a 25% tariff on select high-end artificial intelligence chips from companies like Nvidia Corp (NASDAQ:NVDA) and Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD).
Trump revealed his plans to speak with Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, about the possibility of using the company’s Starlink satellite internet service to reinstate internet access in Iran, which has been shut down for four days due to ongoing anti-government protests.
Trump administration formally approved Nvidia sales of its H200 artificial intelligence chips to China.
Trump has doubled down on his criticism of his predecessor Joe Biden‘s policies surrounding electric vehicles at the Detroit Economic Club, which resulted in an “EV mandate.”
Trump’s pledge to increase the country’s military budget from $900 billion to $1.5 trillion.
Greenland and Denmark’s foreign ministers are set to hold talks with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the White House on Wednesday, amid President Donald Trump‘s ongoing push to take over the self-governed Danish territory.
Trump administration will reportedly propose that PJM Interconnection, the largest power grid operator in the U.S., hold an emergency auction allowing tech giants and hyperscalers to bid on 15-year contracts for building new power plants.
Trump administration struck a trade agreement with Taiwan aimed at pulling hundreds of billions of dollars in semiconductor investment onto U.S. soil while easing tariff pressure on key Taiwanese exports.
Trump announced that his administration is working with major U.S. tech companies, particularly Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), to prevent Americans from bearing the brunt of data center power consumption.
India is reportedly considering a proposal that would require smartphone manufacturers, including Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (OTC:SSNLF), to disclose their source code and make certain software changes to enhance security.
Earnings Results
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (NYSE:TSM) posted net sales of $33.73 billion, topping the $33.27 billion analyst consensus. EPS came in at $3.14, above the $2.79 consensus estimate.
Bank of America Corp (NYSE:BAC) reported fourth-quarter EPS of 98 cents, beating the analyst consensus estimate of 96 cents. Revenue, net of interest expense, increased 7% year-over-year (Y/Y) to $28.532 billion, beating the analyst consensus estimate of $27.944 billion.
Entertainment, Electrical Equipment & Electricity Producers
Spotify Technology SA (NYSE:SPOT) is moving ahead with another price increase as it seeks to strengthen profitability amid moderating growth, leadership changes, and heightened attention from investors and artists alike.
Nano Nuclear Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:NNE) issued a formal Request for Information to identify partners for future surface fission power system development.
Talen Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:TLN) signed definitive agreements to acquire three large natural gas power plants in the Midwest for a total value of $3.45 billion.
Communication Equipment & Broadline Retail
Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) said it has filed a formal notice with Swedish authorities about potential layoffs. The company estimates that up to roughly 1,600 positions across its Swedish workforce could be affected.
Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (NYSE:BABA) is accelerating its push into consumer-facing artificial intelligence by deeply integrating its Qwen AI app with the company’s core services.
Amazon Web Services (AWS), the cloud computing arm of Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), disclosed the launch of the AWS European Sovereign Cloud, its first AWS region in Brandenburg, Germany.
Amazon.com reportedly renegotiated prices with some suppliers as reduced U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports eased cost pressures across its e-commerce supply chain.
Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) announced a partnership with Alphabet Inc.’s (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google Gemini, which will enable customers to easily discover and purchase products from its store and its warehouse club, Sam’s Club.
Software & Semiconductors
CleanSpark, Inc. (NASDAQ:CLSK) announced it is expanding its Texas footprint with a land-and-transmission deal near Houston aimed at powering large-scale data center campuses built for artificial intelligence and high-performance computing.
In an internal memo to the workforce, Dell Technologies Inc. (NYSE:DELL) COO and Vice Chairman Jeff Clarke has reportedly announced a significant overhaul of the company’s operations, collectively known as One Dell Way.
Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD) and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) announced a strategic collaboration to help enterprises transition artificial intelligence initiatives from pilot stages to large-scale production, while modernizing legacy IT environments and enhancing digital workplaces.
Apollo Global Management (NYSE:APO) has led a $3.5 billion financing package for Valor Compute Infrastructure (VCI), a fund run by Valor Equity Partners. This money will help fund a $5.4 billion acquisition and lease of data-center infrastructure, including Nvidia‘s GB200 GPUs, to a subsidiary of Elon Musk‘s artificial intelligence company, xAI.
NVIDIA and Eli Lilly newly announced $1 billion AI co-innovation lab underscores how artificial intelligence is spreading beyond data centers into medicine, and ETF investors are beginning to price that into thematic funds.
CoreWeave Inc. (NASDAQ:CRWV) CEO Michael Intrator has forcefully rejected allegations that his company is engaged in “circular financing” with Nvidia, describing the narrative as “ridiculous” and mathematically unsound.
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has pledged to adopt a “community-first” approach to its AI infrastructure expansion, ensuring that local electricity bills do not surge due to its operations.
Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META) is launching a new AI infrastructure group called Meta Compute as Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg accelerates multibillion-dollar investments in data centers and long-term energy supplies to pursue advanced artificial intelligence.
Meta is planning to cut about 10% or more jobs in its Reality Labs division, which includes the metaverse, to focus more on next-generation AI initiatives.
Smartphones & Social Media
Alphabet has expanded its long-running partnership with Nvidia as Google Cloud begins deploying its latest Blackwell-based AI systems to support advanced enterprise and government workloads.
Apple launched Apple Creator Studio, a new subscription bundle designed for creators across Mac, iPad, and iPhone.
Apple is teaming up with Alphabet’s Google to power upcoming artificial intelligence features, including future versions of Siri, as it moves to strengthen its AI capabilities.
The American Federation of Teachers is shutting down its presence on X, after the platform’s AI chatbot, Grok, produced sexually explicit images of minors, prompting concerns over child safety.
Automobile
A Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F) employee suspended for heckling President Donald Trump has received close to $800,000 in GoFundMe donations.
Nio Inc. (NYSE:NIO) vowed to keep pushing its business in Europe as the European Commission formalized conditions for China-made EVs’ tariff alternatives.
XPeng Inc. (NYSE:XPEV) announced that it will establish independent supply chain teams in Europe and Southeast Asia in 2026, furthering its efforts to localize operations as overseas demand accelerates.
Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) unveiled a new, 7-seater version of the Model Y crossover SUV as the EV maker’s sales improved in China despite a Q4 delivery shortfall.
CEO Elon Musk has shared that the company will stop offering the Full Self-Driving (FSD) service as a one-time payment in favor of a monthly subscription.
WeRide Inc. (NASDAQ:WRD) launched its Robotaxi service Mini Program, “WeRide Go”, on WeChat in China.
WeRide announced the 1,000 Robotaxi feat, sharing that it has “reached 1,023 Robotaxis globally!” WeRide also announced that it had achieved driverless operations in Beijing, Guangzhou & Abu Dhabi.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Aerospace and Defense
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) condemned Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI, urging state authorities to investigate its chatbot Grok over the creation and spread of nonconsensual AI-generated sexual images involving children.
Malaysia and Indonesia have blocked access to Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot, Grok, after discovering that the tool could be used to generate and distribute images containing nonconsensual explicit content and child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
OpenAI has inked a deal with AI chipmaker Cerebras Systems to procure 750 megawatts of computing power through 2028.
OpenAI rehired former executive Barret Zoph after he was reportedly fired from Mira Murati’s AI startup, Thinking Machines Lab.
OpenAI acquired the health-care technology startup Torch, days after the company unveiled ChatGPT Health, a platform designed to help patients and doctors navigate complex medical information.
Starlink, the satellite internet service provider by Elon Musk‘s commercial space flight company SpaceX, has unveiled new residential plans for the U.S.
Datavault AI Inc. (NASDAQ:DVLT) announced a new partnership with Fintech.TV to launch its patented AI media-rating technology.
Datavault AI plans to operate a nationwide edge network of more than 100 nodes across 33 U.S. cities, with revenue generation expected to begin in the second half of 2026.
Image: Shutterstock
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