Opinion
Editorial commentary and POV from Futurum Advisory analysts.
The Neoclouds’ Indispensability Trap
Jim Chanos has a point about CoreWeave. The famed short-seller recently argued that neocloud moats are “both dug and filled” by Nvidia. His reasoning is straightforward: Nvidia supplies the GPUs that neoclouds rent to customers, influences their allocation and pricing, and possesses the ability to weaken or bypass the intermediaries whenever it chooses. Chanos went […]
Alan Shimel · Aug 17, 2026 · 10 min
The Wall We Built Is Becoming Their Foundation
ASML shed about 5% of its market value on Monday because of a report about five machines. The Information reported that a Shanghai-based, state-backed manufacturer has begun mass-producing immersion deep ultraviolet lithography tools, with roughly five units expected to ship this year and about twenty in 2027. For scale, ASML shipped 131 immersion DUV systems […]
Alan Shimel · Jul 29, 2026 · 5 min
Google Is Betting the AI Model Is Ready to Become the Machine
For most of computing history, progress meant separating the software from the machine. Software could be changed, upgraded and replaced without throwing away the computer beneath it. Hardware became increasingly general purpose, while software developers gained the freedom to decide what those machines would do. The decoupling of hardware and software helped create the modern […]
Alan Shimel · Jul 23, 2026 · 9 min
AI Can Be Underbuilt and Overinvested at the Same Time
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. delivered almost everything an AI infrastructure bull could have wanted from its second-quarter earnings report. Revenue reached $40.2 billion, an increase of 33.7% from a year earlier. TSMC recorded another quarter of record profit. Gross margin reached 67.7%, operating margin came in at 60.3%, and management raised its expectations for full-year […]
Alan Shimel · Jul 20, 2026 · 8 min
Apple’s M7 Ultra is About Securing the Homeland
Apple may be preparing to build one of the most formidable AI server processors in the market. That does not mean it wants to become the next AWS. According to Mark Gurman’s latest Bloomberg Power On report, Apple is accelerating development of an AI-focused M7 generation, including an M7 Ultra designed to support as much […]
Alan Shimel · Jul 14, 2026 · 8 min
Is SK hynix the Power Behind NVIDIA’s Throne?
For most of the computer era, memory chips were the semiconductor industry’s supporting cast. Necessary, certainly. Occasionally scarce. Often expensive at precisely the wrong moment. But they were not what made people line up for product launches or drove investors into a frenzy. Processors were where the action was. Memory was the mundane stuff sitting […]
Alan Shimel · Jul 13, 2026 · 9 min
The Foundation of Our Digital Future: Announcing the Launch of Techstrong Semi
Today marks a monumental milestone for The Futurum Group and our entire global audience. I am incredibly proud to announce the official launch of Techstrong Semi, the newest addition to the Techstrong media portfolio and a premier destination for insights, news, and analysis dedicated entirely to the semiconductor industry. For years, the Techstrong brand has been […]
Dan O'Brien · Jun 8, 2026 · 3 min
Apple Was the Target. Intel May Be the Casualty
Microsoft and NVIDIA do not usually coordinate their social feeds for fun. So when the two companies posted matching teasers on May 29 promising “a new era of PC,” complete with map coordinates pointing at a venue in Taipei, the timing was not subtle. Computex opens June 2, Jensen Huang has a keynote, and the […]
Alan Shimel · Jun 1, 2026 · 6 min
NVIDIA Is Evolving From GPU Vendor to Datacenter Architect
NVLink Fusion addresses enterprise demand for flexibility. NVIDIA is evolving from GPU vendor to data center architect.
Brendan Burke · May 14, 2026 · 1 min
The XPU Market Reached $31B in 2025 — and Why That’s Just the Start
The XPU market reached $31 billion in 2025. Third-party custom silicon design could double by 2028 as enterprises diversify beyond GPUs.
Brendan Burke · May 14, 2026 · 1 min
Intelligence Belongs Where the Data Is — Not in a Datacenter
Intelligence must live wherever data is generated. The convergence of space-based compute and terrestrial AI infrastructure is no longer science fiction.
Brendan Burke · May 14, 2026 · 1 min
Why 2026 Is the Breakout Year for XPU Adoption
2026 will be a breakout year for XPU adoption by AI leaders. Specialized processors help meet insatiable demand while managing fast-growing capital expenditures.
Brendan Burke · May 14, 2026 · 1 min