HSBC is the only UK name on $13 trillion list of top global brands May 14, 2026 The rise of AI has shaken up an influential ranking of global big-name firms, as the competition to become one of the world’s elite brands becomes fiercer than ever, according to an influential index tracking the corporate elite. The Kantar Brandz Top 100 – which ranks the value of brands – unveiled on Thursday, is [...]
Fractile lands $220m as ministers hail ‘vote of confidence’ in UK AI May 13, 2026 British AI chip startup Fractile has raised $220m (£165m) in fresh funding with the government pointing to the deal as evidence the UK can produce globally competitive AI infrastructure companies. The London-founded company, which is developing next-generation chips designed to speed up AI inference – the by which AI models generate responses – said the [...]
Cisco’s ‘record highs’ face AI earnings reality check May 13, 2026 Cisco is set to report its quarterly earnings after the bell on Wednesday, and Wall Street is looking for evidence that the software giant’s AI-fuelled rally still has legs. Investors expect the Silicon Valley group to post third-quarter revenue of roughly $15.56bn (£11.52bn), up from $14.15bn a year ago, with earnings per share forecast at [...]
Big Short guru: Nasdaq about to resemble a ‘bloody car crash’ May 12, 2026 The investment guru depicted in the Big Short has warned that New York’s Nasdaq resembled “the scene of a bloody car crash, minutes before it happens”, accusing Wall St of overinflating the bumper Big Tech earnings that have carried US indexes to a string of all-time highs. Michael Burry, whose decision to bet against the [...]
Samsung workers threaten strike over AI profits as market value hits $1 trillion May 7, 2026 Samsung Electronics is facing the threat of a major worker walkout, after unions demanded a bigger share of the company’s AI-fuelled semiconductor profits. Two Samsung unions are pushing for a seven per cent pay rise and a bonus scheme worth 15 per cent of each division’s operating profits, with workers threatening an 18-day strike later [...]
AMD stock soars as AI chip demand drives quarterly results May 6, 2026 Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) sent its stock soaring after flying past Wall Street estimates for the first quarter of the year, thanks to swelling AI infrastructure demand. AMD shares rose 15 per cent after hours on Tuesday, after the Santa Clara-headquartered chipmaker reported $10.3bn revenue, up 38 per cent on the same period last year. [...]
Fractile vs Nvidia: can a UK startup undercut AI’s chip darling? May 6, 2026 A little-known British startup is beginning to test one of the biggest assumptions underpinning the AI boom: that Nvidia will remain the unavoidable centre of the ecosystem. Founded in 2022 by Oxford researcher Walter Goodwin, Fractile is attempting to redesign how AI chips work altogether, with a focus on speed and – crucially – cost. [...]
Legora lands Nvidia backing as Jude Law fronts campaign April 30, 2026 AI legal tech firm Legora has secured fresh backing from Nvidia as part of a $50m (£37m) funding extension that pushes its valuation to $5.6bn. The Stockholm-based startup said the extension takes its total Series D round to $600m, with Nvidia’s venture arm NVentures and Atlassian joining as new corporate investors. Additional backing came from [...]
The AI bubble has a name – and it’s OpenAI April 29, 2026 For three years, Sam Altman has worn the badge of greatest pitchman in the history of tech. He sold the world a vision of artificial general intelligence – a machine that thinks, reasons and creates – and sold investors the bill to build it. The man raised more capital in a single funding round than [...]
Big Tech earnings to test AI demand – and Nvidia surge April 28, 2026 Big Tech earnings this week are expected to provide a clearer picture of the AI state of play, with results from Microsoft, Alphabet, Meta and Amazon set to offer updates on capital expenditure and AI-related revenues. The results come as Nvidia, the booming chip darling, closed last week at a record high, taking its market [...]