NetApp Report Highlights Fierce Competition in Global AI Leadership
NetApp® (NASDAQ: NTAP), the intelligent data infrastructure company, today released its new report, The AI Space Race , examining which countries are leading the fierce global competition to become the world leader in AI innovation. While some countries are further ahead than others, this survey of CEOs and IT executives in the U.S., China, the U.K., and India found that every player has the potential to thrive in the global race for AI dominance.
AI is no longer optional for business, and the region that leads the world in AI innovation will be well-positioned to be a technological superpower, and drive potential benefits like economic growth, improved quality of life, and global political influence in the years to come. Successfully fueling AI innovation requires organizations to prepare their data to make it accessible, secure, and scalable—wherever it lives—to produce trusted and valuable outcomes.
'In the 'Space Race' of the 1960's, world powers rushed to accelerate scientific innovation for the sake of national pride. The outcomes of the 'AI Space Race' will shape the world for decades to come,' said Gabie Boko, CMO at NetApp. 'The companies and regions that can get their data ready for AI will be able to generate differentiating business insights and unlock operational efficiencies that launch them ahead of their rivals. Intelligent, scalable, secure data infrastructure is a decisive factor as the global competition drives businesses to solidify their AI ambitions and understand how they translate into a true, lasting advantage.'
The AI Space Race is Still Anyone's Game
When asked what region is best positioned to lead AI innovation in the long term, respondents from every country overwhelmingly pointed to the U.S. (43 percent).
However, everyone sees themselves as AI ready, and every region views themselves as competitive in the global AI innovation race. The report shows that 81 percent of global respondents are currently piloting or scaling AI, while 88 percent view their organization as mostly or completely ready to sustain AI transformation. The massive investment in AI innovation around the globe shows that everyone is working to become the world leader in AI innovation. However, some countries are working harder than others, with respondents from India (29%) and UK (32%) reporting that they feel extra pressure to compete as China and US are seen as clear leaders. With all this fierce rivalry and active investment, the field is wide open for any country to achieve that goal.
Driving the global differences in the state of AI innovation are diverging priorities in how it is implemented. Respondents in China put a much greater focus on scalability with 35 percent ranking it as a top capability—11 percent higher than the global average—suggesting a focus on rapid deployment to make an early impact. By contrast, leaders in the U.S., U.K., and India put a greater emphasis on integration with existing systems. This long-term strategy to enable sustained AI growth may result in greater business value in the future, though the short-term approach may drive more immediate results.
Aligning Business Ambitions and Technology Reality
While organizations are focused on turbocharging AI innovation, CEOs and IT leaders need to be aligned on the state of their technology environments and plans to drive long term success and leadership.
In China, the survey indicates there is a critical misalignment between Chinese CEOs and IT leaders on both AI readiness and actual deployment, which could hinder its long-term leadership potential: 92 percent of Chinese CEOs report active AI projects, compared to just 74 percent of Chinese IT leaders. In the United States, alignment is stronger—77 percent of CEOs and 86 percent of IT leaders say the same. Perceptions of AI readiness are also misaligned. While 68 percent of Chinese CEOs consider their organizations AI-ready (versus 62 percent globally), only 58 percent of their IT counterparts agree (versus 72 percent globally). In the United States, CEO and IT readiness is more closely aligned at 60 percent and 61 percent, respectively. These differences suggest that internal alignment—not just ambition—may shape how AI strategies are executed, depending on region and role.
However, concerns about the quality of results from AI projects have the potential to slow down innovation if they are not addressed. Globally, 79 percent of respondents reported a fear of broken models and biased insights resulting from poor data and cloud strategies. Businesses that want to tap into the opportunity of AI innovation will need strong data governance strategies to serve as the foundation for their digital transformation.
'One of the most significant success factors in the AI Space Race will be data infrastructure and data management, supported by cloud solutions that are agile, secure and scalable,' said Russell Fishman, Senior Director, Product Management at NetApp. 'Winning organizations will be those that recognize that they require an intelligent data infrastructure in place to ensure unfettered AI innovation. This is critical no matter the company size, industry or geography. As organizations around the world embrace AI at scale, NetApp is there to help them extract maximum value from their data by creating an AI ready data infrastructure that unifies, manages and harnesses their data for optimal AI outcomes.'
The AI Space Race is just getting started, but the organizations that can move the fastest will lead in AI innovation. The fierce competition highlighted by this report shows that businesses need to find an edge that will help them leverage AI securely and efficiently to stay a step ahead of their peers, no matter how fast the race evolves. Adopting an intelligent data infrastructure offers organizations unparalleled flexibility and agility to move into the cloud when needed, scale AI workloads seamlessly, reduce costs, and quickly adapt to evolving business needs. As AI increasingly moves from generating content to taking action, businesses need security that starts with the data itself. Only an intelligent data infrastructure delivers a full chain of trust, empowering enterprises to move fast, without compromising control.
To learn more, read the report brief and the infographic:
Join NetApp and Steve McDowell of NAND Research for a LinkedIn Live event on Wednesday, June 25 at 11am ET: https://www.linkedin.com/events/7340492842705821697/about/
Methodology
NetApp partnered with Wakefield Research to conduct a quantitative research study during May 2025, among 400 IT Executives and 400 CEOs in 4 countries (US, China, UK and India).
Additional Resources
About NetApp
NetApp is the intelligent data infrastructure company, combining unified data storage, integrated data, operational and workload services to turn a world of disruption into opportunity for every customer. NetApp creates silo-free infrastructure, harnessing observability and AI to enable the industry's best data management. As the only enterprise-grade storage service natively embedded in the world's biggest clouds, our data storage delivers seamless flexibility. In addition, our data services create a data advantage through superior cyber resilience, governance, and application agility. Our operational and workload services provide continuous optimization of performance and efficiency for infrastructure and workloads through observability and AI. No matter the data type, workload, or environment, with NetApp you can transform your data infrastructure to realize your business possibilities. Learn more at www.netapp.com or follow us on X , LinkedIn , Facebook , and Instagram .
NETAPP, the NETAPP logo, and the marks listed at www.netapp.com/TM are trademarks of NetApp, Inc. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250625393268/en/
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Bitcoin (BTC-USD) fell 3% on Thursday, retreating from its record high after hotter-than-expected inflation soured expectations of a large rate cut in September. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent indicated the US wouldn't buy any more tokens for its reserve, but it wouldn't sell any either. On Wednesday, bitcoin touched an all-time high record, surpassing $123,000 per token. Crypto rolled over after July's producer price index came in much higher than expected. During an interview with Fox Business this morning, Bessent said US reserves of bitcoin amount to around $15 billion or $20 billion at today's prices. "We've also started to get into the 21st century — a bitcoin strategic reserve. We're not going to be buying that, but we are going to use confiscated assets and continue to build that up. We're going to stop selling that," he said. Expectations of Fed rate cuts, coupled with heavy purchases from corporate treasurys, have driven up the price of the asset this year. The cryptocurrency has gained 25% year to date and has rallied roughly 57% since the April lows. Amazon could seize market share and drive down fees with its latest grocery bet Yahoo Finance's Francisco Velasquez reports: Read more here. Yahoo Finance's Francisco Velasquez reports: Read more here. Nvidia rises after denying Rubin chip delay Nvidia (NVDA) stock climbed nearly 1% Thursday morning after the company told Barron's and Seeking Alpha that its Rubin chip is "on track" after an analyst at Fubon Research indicated the GPU could be delayed. The company did not immediately respond to Yahoo Finance's request for comment. 'We think it is very likely that Rubin will be delayed," Fubon Research analyst Sherman Shang wrote in a research note seen by the outlets. "The first version of Rubin was already taped out in late June, but Nvidia is now redesigning the chip to better match AMD's upcoming MI450." "We think the next tape out schedule will be in late September or October, and based on the tape out schedule, the Rubin volume will be limited in 2026," Shang said. Nvidia said the report was incorrect in emailed statements to the outlets. Rubin is Nvidia's next-generation AI chip architecture, the successor to Blackwell, and it was unveiled during the company's annual GTC conference in 2025. Nvidia (NVDA) stock climbed nearly 1% Thursday morning after the company told Barron's and Seeking Alpha that its Rubin chip is "on track" after an analyst at Fubon Research indicated the GPU could be delayed. The company did not immediately respond to Yahoo Finance's request for comment. 'We think it is very likely that Rubin will be delayed," Fubon Research analyst Sherman Shang wrote in a research note seen by the outlets. "The first version of Rubin was already taped out in late June, but Nvidia is now redesigning the chip to better match AMD's upcoming MI450." "We think the next tape out schedule will be in late September or October, and based on the tape out schedule, the Rubin volume will be limited in 2026," Shang said. Nvidia said the report was incorrect in emailed statements to the outlets. Rubin is Nvidia's next-generation AI chip architecture, the successor to Blackwell, and it was unveiled during the company's annual GTC conference in 2025. stock continues freefall after 'brutal' preliminary financial results stock sank 3.5% Thursday, putting shares down more than 20% over the past five trading sessions. The AI software company's shares have suffered since releasing preliminary results for the first quarter of its fiscal year 2026, which ended July 31. The company estimated last Friday that it will see a quarterly loss of $57.7 million to $57.9 million on revenue in the range of $70.2 million to $70.4 million. C3 will report its full results on Sept. 3. Its preliminary results were "well below" consensus estimates on Wall Street and the company's previous guidance for a loss of $23.5 million to $33.5 million on revenue of $100 million to $109 million, JPMorgan analyst Brian Essex wrote in a note to clients Monday. C3 has been mired in controversy over the last several years. In 2022, investors sued the company and its founder and former CEO, Tom Siebel, for misrepresenting the size of a sales team related to its largest partnership with energy company Baker Hughes (BKR). In 2023, short-selling firm Spruce Point Management alleged the company showed "signs of problematic financial reporting and accounting." Then last month, Siebel stepped down from the role of CEO due to an autoimmune disease diagnosis. Since C3 released its preliminary results last Friday, four investment firms, including Oppenheimer and DA Davidson, have downgraded C3 stock to Market Perform and Sell ratings. Wedbush maintained its Outperform rating on the stock but lowered its price target to $23 from $35. "This was a brutal quarter and if C3 cannot turn this around darker days could be ahead," Dan Ives wrote in a note to clients Monday. stock sank 3.5% Thursday, putting shares down more than 20% over the past five trading sessions. The AI software company's shares have suffered since releasing preliminary results for the first quarter of its fiscal year 2026, which ended July 31. The company estimated last Friday that it will see a quarterly loss of $57.7 million to $57.9 million on revenue in the range of $70.2 million to $70.4 million. C3 will report its full results on Sept. 3. Its preliminary results were "well below" consensus estimates on Wall Street and the company's previous guidance for a loss of $23.5 million to $33.5 million on revenue of $100 million to $109 million, JPMorgan analyst Brian Essex wrote in a note to clients Monday. C3 has been mired in controversy over the last several years. In 2022, investors sued the company and its founder and former CEO, Tom Siebel, for misrepresenting the size of a sales team related to its largest partnership with energy company Baker Hughes (BKR). In 2023, short-selling firm Spruce Point Management alleged the company showed "signs of problematic financial reporting and accounting." Then last month, Siebel stepped down from the role of CEO due to an autoimmune disease diagnosis. Since C3 released its preliminary results last Friday, four investment firms, including Oppenheimer and DA Davidson, have downgraded C3 stock to Market Perform and Sell ratings. Wedbush maintained its Outperform rating on the stock but lowered its price target to $23 from $35. "This was a brutal quarter and if C3 cannot turn this around darker days could be ahead," Dan Ives wrote in a note to clients Monday. America's favorite office lunch spots are having a challenging summer Yahoo Finance's Brooke DiPalma reports: Read more here. Yahoo Finance's Brooke DiPalma reports: Read more here. Stocks fall at the open after latest inflation data shows rising producer prices US stocks sank Thursday at the market open, after the latest Producer Price Index reading showed wholesale inflation climbing much more than expected — a negative sign for hopes of a Fed rate cut in September. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) sank more than 0.4%, while the benchmark S&P 500 (^GSPC) fell over 0.3%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) lost 0.25%. US stocks sank Thursday at the market open, after the latest Producer Price Index reading showed wholesale inflation climbing much more than expected — a negative sign for hopes of a Fed rate cut in September. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) sank more than 0.4%, while the benchmark S&P 500 (^GSPC) fell over 0.3%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) lost 0.25%. Wholesale inflation rises more than expected in July The Producer Price Index — a measure of wholesale inflation that tracks changes in the selling prices of US producers of goods and services — rose 0.9% in July, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Thursday, more than the 0.2% expected by analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. That was the biggest jump since June 2022. That's after the PPI was unchanged in June and advanced a more modest 0.4% in May. Driving the increase in July was a rise in prices for final demand services, or services sold by businesses, which climbed 1.1% — the largest jump since March 2022. Producers also saw higher prices of raw materials businesses use to make other products, which rose 1.8%, led by a jump in prices for food and animal feed (in particular, the price of raw milk soared 9.1%). Still, that was smaller than the 2.6% rise in June. Read more here. The Producer Price Index — a measure of wholesale inflation that tracks changes in the selling prices of US producers of goods and services — rose 0.9% in July, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Thursday, more than the 0.2% expected by analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. That was the biggest jump since June 2022. That's after the PPI was unchanged in June and advanced a more modest 0.4% in May. Driving the increase in July was a rise in prices for final demand services, or services sold by businesses, which climbed 1.1% — the largest jump since March 2022. Producers also saw higher prices of raw materials businesses use to make other products, which rose 1.8%, led by a jump in prices for food and animal feed (in particular, the price of raw milk soared 9.1%). Still, that was smaller than the 2.6% rise in June. Read more here. September rate hold? Investors say it's (sort of) back on the table Thursday's hot PPI reading has shifted bets on the Fed's next move a bit. According to the CME Group's FedWatch tool, a cut is no longer fully priced in. Yesterday's odds: Today's odds (as of 9 a.m. ET): So the bets on a jumbo cut have in effect switched places with holding steady. Thursday's hot PPI reading has shifted bets on the Fed's next move a bit. According to the CME Group's FedWatch tool, a cut is no longer fully priced in. Yesterday's odds: Today's odds (as of 9 a.m. ET): So the bets on a jumbo cut have in effect switched places with holding steady. Trending tickers in premarket trading: Bullish, Deere, Cisco Here's a look at the top stocks trending on Yahoo Finance this morning: Bullish (BLSH): The cryptocurrency exchange operator's stock rose 5% in premarket trading after it posted an 83% gain in its first day of trading. The stock saw gains as high as 215% on Wednesday after it opened for trade at $90. You can read more about the Bullish IPO here. (JD): Shares were up 0.2% after the Chinese e-commerce company reported that net income fell by more than 50% year over year amid new investments into the competitive food delivery space in China. Revenue of 356.66 billion yuan ($49.73 billion) beat estimates, however. Deere (DE): Shares of the farm equipment maker fell 5% as quarterly sales fell 9% from a year ago. Deere also narrowed its full-year profit forecast, and profits for the third quarter came in lighter than expected. Cisco (CSCO): The networking giant reported earnings that barely beat estimates and results that showed Cisco benefiting from a boom in AI demand. Still, the stock dropped 1.6% in premarket trading. Check out live coverage of corporate earnings here. Here's a look at the top stocks trending on Yahoo Finance this morning: Bullish (BLSH): The cryptocurrency exchange operator's stock rose 5% in premarket trading after it posted an 83% gain in its first day of trading. The stock saw gains as high as 215% on Wednesday after it opened for trade at $90. You can read more about the Bullish IPO here. (JD): Shares were up 0.2% after the Chinese e-commerce company reported that net income fell by more than 50% year over year amid new investments into the competitive food delivery space in China. Revenue of 356.66 billion yuan ($49.73 billion) beat estimates, however. Deere (DE): Shares of the farm equipment maker fell 5% as quarterly sales fell 9% from a year ago. Deere also narrowed its full-year profit forecast, and profits for the third quarter came in lighter than expected. Cisco (CSCO): The networking giant reported earnings that barely beat estimates and results that showed Cisco benefiting from a boom in AI demand. Still, the stock dropped 1.6% in premarket trading. Check out live coverage of corporate earnings here. Bitcoin, ethereum trade near record highs as Wall Street grows bullish on crypto Bitcoin (BTC-USD) saw modest gains to trade at $120,807 on Thursday morning, but the crypto was about 2% off its record high of $123,500 on Wednesday. As Yahoo Finance's Ines Ferré detailed, inflows into spot exchange-traded funds and public companies adding bitcoin to their balance sheets have been key drivers of this year's token rally. Strategists also point to the Trump administration's pro-crypto stance as a major catalyst. Meanwhile, ethereum (ETH-USD) prices traded near record levels, climbing 0.5% on Thursday morning to $4,722 per token, just shy of its 2021 record level of around $4,800. "We have stated multiple times we believe Ethereum is the biggest macro trade over the next 10-15 years," Fundstrat head of research Tom Lee wrote in a note on Wednesday. Bitcoin (BTC-USD) saw modest gains to trade at $120,807 on Thursday morning, but the crypto was about 2% off its record high of $123,500 on Wednesday. As Yahoo Finance's Ines Ferré detailed, inflows into spot exchange-traded funds and public companies adding bitcoin to their balance sheets have been key drivers of this year's token rally. Strategists also point to the Trump administration's pro-crypto stance as a major catalyst. Meanwhile, ethereum (ETH-USD) prices traded near record levels, climbing 0.5% on Thursday morning to $4,722 per token, just shy of its 2021 record level of around $4,800. "We have stated multiple times we believe Ethereum is the biggest macro trade over the next 10-15 years," Fundstrat head of research Tom Lee wrote in a note on Wednesday. Stocks may be at all-time highs, but speculative froth isn't Yahoo Finance's Hamza Shaban reports: Read more here. Yahoo Finance's Hamza Shaban reports: Read more here. Good morning. Here's what's happening today. Economic data: Initial jobless claims (week ending Aug. 9); Producer Price Index, (July); Earnings: (JD), Deere & Company (DE), Advanced Auto Parts (AAP), Birkenstock (BIRK), Applied Materials (AMAT), Nucor (NUE) Here are some of the biggest stories you may have missed overnight and early this morning: These stock market all-time highs aren't quite frothy 117-year high at busiest port in the US Earnings: Foxconn beats on AI demand, Deere profit falls Bullish stock tops $75 after strong IPO debut US oil producers say OPEC+ 'price war' will halt shale boom Rate cut next month doesn't seem warranted: Fed's Daly Trump's Treasury set to decide fate of of wind, solar projects Trump-fueled crypto frenzy sparks rush to Wall Street IPOs 'Tesla shame' bypasses Norway as sales jump despite Musk's politics Economic data: Initial jobless claims (week ending Aug. 9); Producer Price Index, (July); Earnings: (JD), Deere & Company (DE), Advanced Auto Parts (AAP), Birkenstock (BIRK), Applied Materials (AMAT), Nucor (NUE) Here are some of the biggest stories you may have missed overnight and early this morning: These stock market all-time highs aren't quite frothy 117-year high at busiest port in the US Earnings: Foxconn beats on AI demand, Deere profit falls Bullish stock tops $75 after strong IPO debut US oil producers say OPEC+ 'price war' will halt shale boom Rate cut next month doesn't seem warranted: Fed's Daly Trump's Treasury set to decide fate of of wind, solar projects Trump-fueled crypto frenzy sparks rush to Wall Street IPOs 'Tesla shame' bypasses Norway as sales jump despite Musk's politics Amazon grocery push stocks still in focus When Amazon (AMZN) goes big on something, usually the stock prices of its competitors get beaten up. The latest example came on Wednesday Amazon announced plans to expand its 1,000-city fresh and perishable same-day grocery delivery to 2,300 cities by year-end. This is a huge deal for the grocery industry. Albertson's (ACI) and Kroger (KR) — aka traditional grocers — saw their share prices fall. I think this is a big deal for the industry and for Amazon. The impact of Amazon's move won't be felt overnight, but just like the company's impact on department stores in recent years, the aftershocks will be felt over time. Evercore ISI analyst Michael Montani with some good thoughts this morning: When Amazon (AMZN) goes big on something, usually the stock prices of its competitors get beaten up. The latest example came on Wednesday Amazon announced plans to expand its 1,000-city fresh and perishable same-day grocery delivery to 2,300 cities by year-end. This is a huge deal for the grocery industry. Albertson's (ACI) and Kroger (KR) — aka traditional grocers — saw their share prices fall. I think this is a big deal for the industry and for Amazon. The impact of Amazon's move won't be felt overnight, but just like the company's impact on department stores in recent years, the aftershocks will be felt over time. Evercore ISI analyst Michael Montani with some good thoughts this morning: I don't hate this Cisco quarter Cisco (CSCO) is always a tricky play around its earnings report. The company isn't a fast grower, and what the Street focuses on tends to shift from quarter to quarter. Sometimes it's profit margins, sometimes it's product orders, sometimes it's the outlook. Going through the latest, I don't hate the quarter and outlook. Gross margins were up across the board, and the AI narrative and numbers were solid as well. There was some weakness in the security business, as expected, but the demand drivers out there suggest new full-year guidance could be conservative. "We think investors should look past Public Sector weakness, which likely hurt Security growth, given the opportunity around Hyperscaler/Enterprise AI, Neoclouds, and Sovereign could quickly offset the weakness. We continue to like Cisco for these drivers of growth, and when paired with a mix shift toward software/subscription over time, healthy free cash flow growth, and shareholder returns, we believe a premium to historical valuations is warranted," KeyBanc analyst Brandon Nispel said. I am live on Opening Bid today around 9:40 a.m. ET with Cisco's new CFO Mark Patterson. So we'll get to pull apart the numbers and guidance further! Cisco (CSCO) is always a tricky play around its earnings report. The company isn't a fast grower, and what the Street focuses on tends to shift from quarter to quarter. Sometimes it's profit margins, sometimes it's product orders, sometimes it's the outlook. Going through the latest, I don't hate the quarter and outlook. Gross margins were up across the board, and the AI narrative and numbers were solid as well. There was some weakness in the security business, as expected, but the demand drivers out there suggest new full-year guidance could be conservative. "We think investors should look past Public Sector weakness, which likely hurt Security growth, given the opportunity around Hyperscaler/Enterprise AI, Neoclouds, and Sovereign could quickly offset the weakness. We continue to like Cisco for these drivers of growth, and when paired with a mix shift toward software/subscription over time, healthy free cash flow growth, and shareholder returns, we believe a premium to historical valuations is warranted," KeyBanc analyst Brandon Nispel said. I am live on Opening Bid today around 9:40 a.m. ET with Cisco's new CFO Mark Patterson. So we'll get to pull apart the numbers and guidance further! Bullish stock rises to $75 after IPO debut Yahoo Finance's breaking news reporter Jake Conley looks into the Bullish (BLSH) stock market debut. Cryptocurrency exchange operator Bullish (BLSH) rose 8% on Thursday before the bell, reaching $75, doubling its IPO price of $37 and valuing the company at more than $10 billion. Still, this marked around a 16% drop from where the stock opened for trade. Bullish stock opened for trade at $90 near 1:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, and the stock traded hands as high as $118 per share shortly after, a more than 215% gain. The stock was halted for trade due to volatility at least twice within the first few minutes of trading. The company, which operates a crypto exchange and owns the prominent trade publication CoinDesk, priced its IPO at $37 per share on Tuesday, above the $32 to $33 range the company had expected in its second shot at making a public market debut. Bullish began its IPO processes looking for a price between $28 to $31 per share. At 30 million shares offered, the IPO price saw Bullish raise $1.1 billion and value the fintech company at $5.41 billion. Bullish first attempted to go public via a SPAC merger in 2021 that would have valued the company at $9 billion, but the deal fell through after regulatory scrutiny and Bullish withdrew its registration. Read more here Yahoo Finance's breaking news reporter Jake Conley looks into the Bullish (BLSH) stock market debut. Cryptocurrency exchange operator Bullish (BLSH) rose 8% on Thursday before the bell, reaching $75, doubling its IPO price of $37 and valuing the company at more than $10 billion. Still, this marked around a 16% drop from where the stock opened for trade. Bullish stock opened for trade at $90 near 1:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, and the stock traded hands as high as $118 per share shortly after, a more than 215% gain. The stock was halted for trade due to volatility at least twice within the first few minutes of trading. The company, which operates a crypto exchange and owns the prominent trade publication CoinDesk, priced its IPO at $37 per share on Tuesday, above the $32 to $33 range the company had expected in its second shot at making a public market debut. Bullish began its IPO processes looking for a price between $28 to $31 per share. At 30 million shares offered, the IPO price saw Bullish raise $1.1 billion and value the fintech company at $5.41 billion. Bullish first attempted to go public via a SPAC merger in 2021 that would have valued the company at $9 billion, but the deal fell through after regulatory scrutiny and Bullish withdrew its registration. Read more here Sign in to access your portfolio
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Oracle Is Cutting Jobs as AI Costs Surge. How Should You Play ORCL Stock Here?
Oracle (ORCL) is implementing strategic layoffs within its Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) division as the company reallocates resources to capitalize on the artificial intelligence (AI) boom, joining its fellow tech giants grappling with AI's escalating costs. The job cuts, affecting hundreds of positions primarily in India and the United States, target the Enterprise Engineering division, Fusion ERP teams, and data center operations staff. However, this isn't a retreat from cloud computing as Oracle is simultaneously hiring new talent with AI-specific skills to support its growing focus on machine learning infrastructure. More News from Barchart Why This Cannabis Penny Stock Could Be Wall Street's Next Meme Trade Breakout Apple Stock Is Gaining Momentum, Is AAPL Stock a Buy? Peter Thiel-Backed Bullish Is About to IPO. Should You Buy BLSH Stock? Our exclusive Barchart Brief newsletter is your FREE midday guide to what's moving stocks, sectors, and investor sentiment - delivered right when you need the info most. Subscribe today! The restructuring reflects Oracle's aggressive pursuit of AI market share against Amazon Web Services (AMZN), Microsoft Azure (MSFT), and Google Cloud (GOOGL). Its $30 billion annual agreement with OpenAI demonstrates a commitment to AI infrastructure, requiring massive capital reallocation to build specialized data centers and computing systems. Is Oracle a Good Stock to Buy Right Now? Oracle delivered exceptional fiscal fourth-quarter results that showcased the company's transformation into an AI-powered cloud infrastructure powerhouse, with management providing aggressive growth guidance that defied industry trends. Cloud infrastructure revenue surged 52% to $3 billion, while total cloud revenue jumped 27% to $6.7 billion. More impressively, CEO Safra Catz guided for over 70% cloud infrastructure growth in fiscal 2026, up from 51% in fiscal 2025. Oracle's remaining performance obligations (RPO) now stand at $138 billion, up 41% year-over-year, with over 100% RPO growth expected next year. Oracle's unique position stems from its AI-centric database technology, Oracle 23 AI, which enables enterprises to use AI models on their proprietary data while maintaining security. "We have most of the world's valuable data," declared Chairman Larry Ellison, emphasizing that Oracle is "the key enabler for enterprises to use their own data and AI models." Oracle faces unprecedented demand that "dramatically outstrips supply," forcing it to schedule customers into future delivery slots. Recent contracts include deals where customers requested "all the capacity you have wherever it is," highlighting the astronomical demand environment. The company plans to increase capital expenditures to over $25 billion in fiscal 2026 from $21.2 billion, primarily for revenue-generating data center equipment. Management expects this may be understated given current demand levels. Oracle's database-as-a-service offerings across Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and AWS are driving rapid cloud migration. The multi-cloud approach provides customer flexibility while maintaining Oracle's database dominance as enterprises modernize their infrastructure for AI workloads. With total revenue guidance raised to over $67 billion (up 16%) for fiscal 2026 and confidence in exceeding fiscal 2029 targets, Oracle appears well-positioned to capitalize on the AI infrastructure buildout cycle. What is the ORCL Stock Price Target? Analysts tracking ORCL stock forecast revenue to rise from $57.4 billion in fiscal 2025 (which ended in May) to $122 billion in fiscal 2030. Comparatively, adjusted earnings are forecast to expand from $6.03 per share to $14.51 per share in this period. ORCL stock has returned over 350% to shareholders in the last five years. Today, it is priced at 36x forward earnings, above the 10-year average of 17x. Even if priced at 30x earnings, then it should trade around $435 in three years, indicating an upside potential of almost 80%. Out of the 36 analysts covering ORCL stock, 25 recommend 'Strong Buy,' one recommends 'Moderate Buy,' and 10 recommend 'Hold.' The average target price for ORCL stock is $248, marginally above the current price of $244. On the date of publication, Aditya Raghunath did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on
