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Tech Market Values Fall on AI Costs and Recession Fears; Eli Lilly, Berkshire Gain

]The logo for Google is seen at the Google Store Chelsea in Manhattan, New York City, US, November 17, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
]The logo for Google is seen at the Google Store Chelsea in Manhattan, New York City, US, November 17, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
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Tech Market Values Fall on AI Costs and Recession Fears; Eli Lilly, Berkshire Gain

]The logo for Google is seen at the Google Store Chelsea in Manhattan, New York City, US, November 17, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
]The logo for Google is seen at the Google Store Chelsea in Manhattan, New York City, US, November 17, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights

Market values of major tech firms declined in August amid concerns over escalating artificial intelligence infrastructure costs and rising recession risks that would make the stocks particularly vulnerable during a market correction.

Last month, Alphabet Inc's lost 4.7% of its market value as a slowdown in YouTube's advertising sales fuelled concerns about its earnings. A US judge's ruling that Google had violated antitrust laws and the emergence of new competition from OpenAI, which is developing an AI-based search engine prototype, also contributed to its shares' decline.

Amazon.com Inc's market value fell 4.5%, affected by slowing online sales.

Tesla's market capitalisation fell 7.7% last month after weaker Q2 earnings and following the news that Canada planned a new 100% tariff on Chinese-made electric vehicles, Reuters reported.

The world's most valuable automaker started shipping Shanghai-made EV's to Canada last year and Ottawa's plans raised concerns about the potential profit impact of exporting from its higher-cost US production base.

Meanwhile, Nvidia's market value fell in the last week of August by 7.7% to $2.92 trillion, after it projected third-quarter gross margins below market estimates and reported revenues that only met expectations, disappointing investors who were expecting a stronger performance.

Nvidia, which commands more than 80% of the AI chip market, stands in a unique position as both the largest enabler as well as beneficiary of surging AI development.

On a positive note, US drugmaker Eli Lilly's market value surged nearly 20%, leading market gainers, driven by robust sales and the launch of a weight-loss drug that significantly reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in overweight adults.

Berkshire Hathaway's market value closed above $1 trillion for the first time at the end of August, reflecting investor confidence in the conglomerate that Warren Buffett built over nearly six decades into what many consider a proxy for the US economy.

Meta's market value also climbed nearly 10% after it beat market expectations for its second-quarter revenues and forecast strong revenue growth in the July-September quarter, indicating that strong digital ad spending on its platforms could offset the costs of its AI investments.

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Dell Raises Forecasts as Demand Surges for Nvidia Powered AI Servers 

The logo of Dell Technologies at the Milipol Paris in Villepinte near Paris, France, November 15, 2023. (Reuters)
The logo of Dell Technologies at the Milipol Paris in Villepinte near Paris, France, November 15, 2023. (Reuters)
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Dell Raises Forecasts as Demand Surges for Nvidia Powered AI Servers 

The logo of Dell Technologies at the Milipol Paris in Villepinte near Paris, France, November 15, 2023. (Reuters)
The logo of Dell Technologies at the Milipol Paris in Villepinte near Paris, France, November 15, 2023. (Reuters)

Dell Technologies raised its annual revenue and profit forecasts on Thursday, buoyed by demand for its AI-optimized servers that are powered by Nvidia's powerful chips, sending its shares up about 3% in extended trading.

Dell's infrastructure solutions group, which includes Nvidia-powered servers, surged 38% to a record revenue of $11.65 billion in the second quarter.

The company's servers are engineered to handle AI systems' intense computational demands, including training large language models.

"Enterprise remains a significant opportunity for us, as many are still in the early stages of AI adoption," Chief Operating Officer Jeff Clarke said in a post-earnings call.

Clarke said that Dell sees an emerging opportunity in "sovereign AI" by leveraging the company's strong relationships with governments globally.

Nvidia on Wednesday said nations building AI models in their own languages were turning to its chips, and that this would contribute about low double-digit billions to its revenue in the financial year ending in January 2025.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang called out the partnership with Dell earlier this year, saying they were helping businesses create their own "AI factories."

Dell's stock has risen 45% this year.

Dell said on Thursday it now expects annual revenue outlook to be between $95.5 billion and $98.5 billion, up from $93.5 billion and $97.5 billion previously. It also raised its annual adjusted profit per share forecast to $7.80, plus or minus 25 cents.

Demand for its AI-optimized servers rose about 23% sequentially to $3.2 billion in the second quarter. The backlog for these AI servers was $3.8 billion.

"Our pipeline has grown to several multiples of our backlog," Clarke said in a statement.

Revenue for the second quarter ended Aug. 2 rose about 9% to $25.03 billion, beating analysts' average estimate of $24.14 billion, according to LSEG data. It reported adjusted profit per share of $1.89 per share, compared with estimates of $1.71 per share.

While AI server demand soared, Dell's PC business struggled, losing market share to rivals. However, a strong refresh cycle for

AI PCs are expected next year after Microsoft ends support for Windows 10.

Revenue for the client solutions group - home to PCs - fell about 4% to $12.41 billion.

"Dell lost PC shipment shares in key markets in the second quarter. It is the top vendor in the US business market, but its competitors have shown growth and gained more shares than they did a year ago," said Mikako Kitagawa, director analyst at Gartner.

The company took a $328 million charge for workforce reductions in the second quarter.

Separately, Reuters exclusively reported earlier on Thursday that Dell is again exploring a possible sale of cybersecurity firm SecureWorks, following previous unsuccessful attempts to find a buyer.