Welcome to Thursday's Big Tech Report:
13:56: ARM, Oracle and Intel lead fallers
Top risers: Tesla +0.3%, SpaceX +0.2%, Netflix +0.2%
Biggest fallers: ARM -4.5%, Oracle -4.0%, Intel -3.0%
- Qualcomm and Apple extend chip licensing agreement
- TSMC to raise wafer prices 3%-6% in 2027 as AI demand tightens supply
- Oracle Invokes Force Majeure on New Mexico Data Center Project
- Salesforce demo raises questions over SAP API policy compliance
- Tesla to hold Semi truck showcase after Cybercab, Roadster events
- Tesla's EU registrations rise 53% in August but Chinese rivals grow far faster
- Meta unveils Muse AI agent, new wearables at Connect, PayPal signs on
13:56: Qualcomm and Apple extend chip licensing agreement
Qualcomm said on Thursday it has extended its chip licensing agreement with Apple, effective 1 April next year. The two companies have had a long, often contentious relationship over modem chips, having settled a bruising multi-year patent dispute in 2019 that included a licensing deal of its own.
Qualcomm shares were down 0.63% at $196.00 and Apple shares were down 0.05% at $336.87, both in pre-market trading.
13:56: TSMC to raise wafer prices 3%-6% in 2027 as AI demand tightens supply
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. plans to raise wafer foundry prices by 3% to 6% starting January 2027, with steeper increases for its most advanced processes, according to a DigiTimes report. The company's demand visibility now extends to 2030, and its mature and specialty capacity is also tightening, with 8-inch fabs reportedly running above 100% utilization and processes at 45nm and below fully booked. Demand is being driven by AI-related components such as power-management chips and basic transistors, along with advanced packaging work including optical communications and silicon interposers. TSMC's 2nm and 3nm wafers remain in short supply.
Rival foundries Samsung Electronics and Intel could follow with their own increases; Samsung already raised prices on some advanced chipmaking services by up to 15% for new orders in August, with 4nm and 5nm wafer prices for U.S. and Chinese customers up 10% to 15% since July. TSMC shares were down 1.16% at $441.38 in pre-market trading.
13:57: Oracle Invokes Force Majeure on New Mexico Data Center Project
Oracle is invoking a "force majeure" clause to limit its financial exposure on a large, contested data center project in New Mexico, adding a new complication to a build that has already drawn scrutiny. The move signals Oracle's effort to avoid absorbing costs tied to delays or obstacles on the site as the project runs into friction.
The dispute comes as Oracle's cloud infrastructure buildout draws wider attention: the company recently disclosed job cuts concentrated among middle managers and workers over 40 in its cloud unit, and reported first-quarter cloud revenue growth of 32% in its Japan business. Oracle shares were down 4.02% at USD 138.75 in pre-market trading.
13:58: Salesforce demo raises questions over SAP API policy compliance
A Salesforce product demonstration has drawn scrutiny from industry experts over whether it breaches SAP's API usage policy, according to The Register. Details of the specific demo and the SAP terms in question have not been made public.
Salesforce shares were down 0.51% at $236.37 in pre-market trading.
13:58: Tesla to hold Semi truck showcase after Cybercab, Roadster events
Tesla will hold an event Thursday at 9 p.m. Eastern Time to mark the opening of its Semi truck factory in Sparks, Nevada, adding the electric truck to a run of dedicated model showcases that has already covered the Cybercab robotaxi and the Roadster. The Cybercab held its own media showcase in Austin, Texas earlier this month.
The string of separate launch events marks a shift from Tesla's past practice of introducing new vehicles alongside quarterly earnings or single flagship unveilings. Tesla shares were up 0.32% at $380.12 in the regular session.
14:05: Tesla's EU registrations rise 53% in August but Chinese rivals grow far faster
Tesla registered 12,547 cars in the European Union in August, up 52.7% year over year, lifting its EU market share to 1.8% from 1.2%, according to registration data. Through August, EU registrations climbed 65.9% to 142,165, giving Tesla a 1.9% share versus 1.2% a year earlier. Across the broader EU, EFTA and UK region, growth was far more modest at 4% in August, with 15,430 registrations, leaving Tesla's share flat at 1.9%.
Chinese rivals are expanding at a much faster clip. BYD's registrations across the wider European region rose 144.1% through August to 234,099, Chery's surged 279.7% to 207,871, and Leapmotor's jumped 449.9%. The gains came as the EU's overall auto market grew 5.3% to 7.55 million registrations, with battery-electric vehicles up 44.9% to 1.64 million and now accounting for 21.7% of registrations, up from 15.8% a year earlier. Tesla shares traded at $380.12, up 0.32%.
16:25: Meta unveils Muse AI agent, new wearables at Connect, PayPal signs on
Meta used its annual Connect conference to introduce Muse, a new AI agent, alongside new wearable devices including $1,299 VR glasses and a "Charm" pendant accessory. CEO Mark Zuckerberg positioned the launches as central to the company's AI push, framing the technology in optimistic terms against wider industry concern about AI risk.
PayPal has partnered with Meta to integrate its services with Muse, and Meta announced additional retail partnerships for the agent, extending its reach beyond Meta's own apps and hardware. Meta shares were up 3.21% at $768.02 in regular trading.
