# Data Center Related Articles

HTX News Center provides the latest articles and in-depth analysis on "Data Center", covering market trends, project updates, tech developments, and regulatory policies in the crypto industry.

Banning Chinese Optical Modules Hurts the U.S. First

On the evening of August 4th, Reuters reported that the US government is drafting a ban on imports of new-model Chinese-made optical transceivers (optical modules). This news immediately impacted the stock market, with US optical component companies like Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI), Coherent, and Lumentum seeing significant pre-market gains. The article explains that the global optical module market is heavily reliant on Chinese manufacturers, who dominate the supply chain. Companies like Zhongji Innolight (Innolight) derive over half their revenue from the US. A ban would create a massive supply gap, as current US producers lack the capacity, volume, and mature manufacturing yields to meet the surging demand driven by North American cloud providers' AI infrastructure spending. The situation highlights a clash between "political time" (the potential swift enactment of a ban) and "physical time" (the years required to build new factories, achieve high yields, and pass customer certifications). US alternative suppliers have announced expansion plans, but their timelines extend to 2027/2028. Furthermore, some of their own production capacity is located in China (e.g., Ningbo), complicating the definition of "Chinese goods." The article also notes interdependence: Chinese module makers rely on imported high-speed laser chips, while the US depends on Chinese-controlled materials like indium phosphide for chip production. Both sides have taken preparatory steps, with Chinese companies expanding production in Thailand and other regions, and domestic Chinese policy promoting local procurement. Ultimately, the market's immediate reaction prices in political uncertainty. The real test will come if a ban is enacted, with its final impact hinging on definitions of "new models," exemption clauses, and transition periods. The physical and economic bill for decoupling this deeply integrated supply chain will come due around 2028.

marsbit08/05 02:31

Banning Chinese Optical Modules Hurts the U.S. First

marsbit08/05 02:31

Analog Chips Are Picking Up

The analog chip market is showing signs of recovery, as evidenced by strong Q2 2026 earnings and guidance from major players like TI, STMicroelectronics, NXP, and onsemi. Revenue growth, improved order backlogs, and declining inventory levels across the supply chain indicate the start of a new upward cycle. Industrial markets led the recovery, followed by data centers and a notable pickup in automotive demand in Q2. The rebound is broad-based but uneven, with specific product areas like automotive analog, power management, and AI server power chains seeing tighter supply and pricing power, while consumer-focused and general-purpose segments remain competitive. A critical turning point is the normalization of inventory. After a prolonged multi-level destocking phase from OEMs to end customers, channel inventories have returned to healthy levels (e.g., NXP at 11 weeks). This has triggered restocking, particularly in automotive, and is now being supplemented by genuine end-demand from new system designs. AI is emerging as a key growth driver, creating new demand in two areas: 1) high-power data center infrastructure (power conversion, thermal management, signal integrity for GPUs, and optical modules) and 2) "Physical AI" in automotive, robotics, and industrial equipment (sensors, motor drivers, power management). This provides a growth vector less dependent on traditional consumer cycles. While some price increase notices have been issued, the revenue impact in Q3 is expected to be minimal, with volume driving growth. The recovery's sustainability will depend on the strength of underlying end-demand now taking over from inventory replenishment.

marsbit08/04 10:06

Analog Chips Are Picking Up

marsbit08/04 10:06

Top 5 Crypto Companies That Have Earned the Most from AI

Here is a summary in English of the article titled "Top 5 crypto companies that earned the most from AI": The growth of the AI market is prompting many crypto miners to shift their business strategies, leasing their computational power for training neural networks instead of mining Bitcoin. This is due to AI offering more stable demand, long-term contracts, and often higher returns. The top earners are: 1. **Hut 8**: Leading with $26 billion in AI revenue, the company builds and operates energy infrastructure and large data centers, now leasing dedicated AI facilities to major tech clients. 2. **IREN**: Earned approximately $4 billion by providing GPU clusters from its data centers for AI training and inference, while still mining Bitcoin. 3. **Core Scientific**: Generated about $31 million by managing large data centers for both mining and AI, having retrofitted some mining sites for powerful GPU systems to serve cloud AI providers. 4. **TeraWulf**: With revenue of roughly $21 million, it creates energy-powered data centers for high-performance computing, hosting client equipment while continuing its mining operations. 5. **Bitdeer**: Earned around $3.7 million by offering full-cycle mining infrastructure and renting out NVIDIA GPU-based computing power for AI model training. Other notable companies mentioned include Cipher Mining and CleanSpark, which also lease their facilities for high-performance computations.

cryptonews.ru08/03 09:36

Top 5 Crypto Companies That Have Earned the Most from AI

cryptonews.ru08/03 09:36

Kioxia's Profit Margin Approaches 80%, J.P. Morgan Raises Its Target Price to 155,000 Yen

According to a JP Morgan report, Kioxia's target price has been raised to ¥155,000, following record-breaking Q1 FY2026 results and the announcement of a framework for up to ¥800 billion in share buybacks. The bank's optimism is based on a convergence of data center SSD price increases, rising profitability, and shareholder returns, rather than simply higher NAND shipments. Kioxia's Q1 results showed revenue of approximately ¥1.77 trillion, up 415.5% year-on-year, with a non-GAAP operating margin of 75.0%. Even stronger, the Q2 guidance forecasts revenue of ~¥2.39 trillion and a non-GAAP operating margin of ~79.5%. This surge is primarily driven by significant ASP growth in enterprise and data center SSDs, fueled by generative AI-related demand, alongside improved product mix and advanced node adoption (e.g., BiCS 8 FLASH). The ¥155,000 target price is derived from FY2027 EPS estimates and a ~11x P/E multiple, above the historical sector average. This premium reflects reduced selling pressure from Bain Capital and the potential for long-term agreements to stabilize earnings. A key future catalyst is the potential for agentic AI to create new NAND workloads, supporting demand beyond the current cycle. While the massive share buyback plan signals capital return commitment and helps ease concerns about cyclical overspending, risks remain. The sustainability of SSD price hikes, the actual scale of incremental AI-driven demand, and the industry's ability to maintain capital discipline to avoid a new supply glut by 2027 are critical factors for the stock's continued re-rating.

marsbit08/03 08:51

Kioxia's Profit Margin Approaches 80%, J.P. Morgan Raises Its Target Price to 155,000 Yen

marsbit08/03 08:51

Annual Salary of Millions Competing for Electricians, Meta Rushes to Open Its Own Technical School

The AI boom is facing an unexpected bottleneck: a severe shortage of skilled construction workers and electricians. As tech giants like Meta, OpenAI, and Alphabet race to build massive data centers—such as OpenAI's $16 billion "Stargate" project—they are hitting a critical labor wall. The U.S. needs an estimated 130,000 more electricians, 240,000 construction workers, and 150,000 supervisors by 2030 for AI infrastructure alone, but tens of thousands of electrician jobs go unfilled each year. While AI companies offer high premiums, with electricians earning up to $280,000 annually, worker scarcity still causes massive losses—delays on a single project can cost $14.2 million per month. The complexity of building AI data centers, which require immense power (equivalent to powering hundreds of thousands of homes), sophisticated electrical systems, and advanced liquid cooling solutions, demands highly skilled technicians who are in short supply. To combat this, companies are investing heavily in training. Meta has committed $115 million to a free training school offering tuition, housing, and stipends, targeting 5,000 new workers. OpenAI is partnering with unions to secure skilled labor. These efforts are paying off, with a significant rise in Gen Z interest in trade schools over college. However, the power demands are staggering. AI data centers are driving a rapid surge in electricity consumption, projected to account for up to 12% of U.S. power use by 2028 and raising costs for consumers. Furthermore, the construction boom is project-based, leading to a potential future glut of trained workers once building peaks, which could depress wages industry-wide. The race for AI supremacy now depends as much on skilled hands as on advanced chips.

marsbit08/03 02:21

Annual Salary of Millions Competing for Electricians, Meta Rushes to Open Its Own Technical School

marsbit08/03 02:21

Qualcomm: AI Hype Subsides, When Will Smartphones Emerge from the Gloom?

Qualcomm reported its Q3 FY2026 results (ending June 2026), with revenue of $9.95B, down 4% YoY but above expectations. Gross margin declined to 53.1%, pressured by rising costs across manufacturing and memory. Key business segments showed mixed performance: Handset revenue fell 19.6% YoY to $5.09B, dragged by an 11% decline in non-Apple Android shipments and weaker high-end mix. Conversely, Automotive revenue surged 61% to $1.59B, and IoT grew 9% to $1.83B. Core operating profit dropped 41% YoY due to margin compression and higher expenses. Management's Q4 FY2026 guidance projects revenue of $9.7B-$10.5B, in line with consensus, but Non-GAAP EPS guidance of $2.05-$2.25 fell short of expectations. Amidst persistent weakness in its core handset market, Qualcomm is pursuing growth in AI, focusing on Edge AI (smartphones, PCs, automotive) and Data Center AI. Its data center strategy includes four pillars: AI accelerators (e.g., AI200), commercial CPUs (Dragonfly C1000), custom silicon, and connectivity solutions. While these initiatives initially boosted its stock, concerns over AI capital expenditure sustainability have since erased those gains. The company targets $5B in data center revenue for FY2027 and $15B for FY2029. The report concludes that with the traditional handset business still under pressure, the data center opportunity is currently viewed as a longer-term option, and a more conservative valuation based on core operations may be warranted until AI contributions materialize.

marsbit08/03 00:13

Qualcomm: AI Hype Subsides, When Will Smartphones Emerge from the Gloom?

marsbit08/03 00:13

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