Latest news with #techcompanies
Wall Street Journal
2 days ago
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
Trump Administration Targets Tech Firms as It Cuts More Contracts
The government's monthslong quest to wring savings from federal contractors is widening and entering a new phase. The next focus: tech companies. The Trump administration is moving its spending review beyond consulting firms such as Accenture ACN -0.29%decrease; red down pointing triangle and Deloitte to now scrutinize contracts at a collection of companies providing sometimes obscure technology services to federal agencies.
Bloomberg
5 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Consumer AI Gadgets Will Come With a Whimper, Not a Bang
Where are all the artificial intelligence consumer gadgets? Even a year ago, it seemed tech companies were working to incorporate the technology into every physical device, from coffee makers to vacuums, making 'AI-powered' hardware seem like it would soon be as ubiquitous as 'battery-powered' electronics. Typically, tech conferences offer a glimmer of these futuristic toys. Not all of them end up hitting the market, but it's where we can dream a little about new pocket devices or household robots taking on a greater role in our lives.
Reuters
6 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
Salesforce nears $8 billion deal for Informatica, WSJ reports
May 27 (Reuters) - Salesforce (CRM.N), opens new tab is nearing a roughly $8 billion deal for data-management software firm Informatica (INFA.N), opens new tab, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The cloud-software giant is expected to pay $25 per share for Informatica, in a deal set to be announced later in the day, the report said. Salesforce and Informatica did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. Informatica shares jumped 7% to $24.1 in premarket trading, while Salesforce stock was up 1.6%. Informatica is exploring a sale after attracting renewed takeover interest from suitors, including Salesforce, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters on Friday. Salesforce and Informatica abandoned their advanced talks for a deal in April 2024 after failing to agree on the terms.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Here's How Intel Could Be Affected by the United States' Rare Earths Trade With China
China had restricted the export of rare earths in an escalation of the trade war with the U.S. Rare earths are critical to the production of components found in data centers. Intel's business could be adversely impacted should China decide to limit the export of rare earths. 10 stocks we like better than Intel › Rare earths were just one of many issues that arose during the salvos of the recent trade war between the United States and China. The tensions between the two nations seem to have eased -- a little at least -- with the nations' recent announcement of a 90-day pause regarding the recently heightened tariffs. But a 90-day pause doesn't mean the strife between Washington and Beijing has been resolved. Businesses, naturally, are watching the negotiations closely -- especially tech companies like Intel (NASDAQ: INTC), which relies heavily on rare earths. With China a powerful player in the supply of rare earths, investors will also want to keep a close eye on how the two nations proceed with respect to the coveted minerals. Intel's growth plans, after all, could be greatly impaired if the trade war starts to escalate again. While most will recognize silicon as an element that's synonymous with semiconductors, rare earths also play a critical role in their production thanks to their unique physical properties. They're so important, in fact, that Intel addressed rare earths among its risk factors in its most-recent 10-Q. The first risk factor identified in the quarterly report states, "Recently elevated geopolitical tensions, volatility and uncertainty with respect to international trade policies, including tariffs and export controls, may have a material adverse impact on our business, the markets in which we compete and the world economy." In particular, Intel recognizes that its supply chain relies on a variety of raw materials including "rare earth minerals, that may become difficult or more costly to obtain, which may impair our ability to manufacture our products and increase our costs." Amid all of the discussion regarding its supply chain, international trade policies, and rare earths, China is the only nation that Intel identifies as posing a risk. It is unsurprising that China figures so prominently in the discussion considering how it dominates the global supply of rare earths. After battling through a challenging 2024, which included a 2% year-over-year decline in revenue, Intel announced a restructuring plan that featured a series of initiatives to reduce expenses, including downsizing staff and reevaluating its businesses. In addition to cutting costs, Intel recognizes progress in growing its foundry business as a catalyst for ameliorating its financial position. With the support of about $8 billion in funding from the CHIPS Act, Intel expects to commence high-volume production of its Intel 18A process node in 2025. This, in turn, will support production of Panther Lake, a new client family of products that represent the first processors on Intel 18A. Waxing optimistic about the prospects on Intel's fourth-quarter 2024 conference call, David Zinsner, Intel's chief financial officer, said that the company is "excited by the launch of Panther Lake this year and the internal ramp of Intel 18A in the second half that will support increased volumes and improved profitability in 2026." While it's unclear whether a constrained supply of rare earths from China would impair Intel's ability to produce 18A and Panther Lake, what's fairly certain is that a shortage of rare earths could impede the growth of data centers. Besides their use in cooling fans, rare earths form powerful magnets that are found in hard drives and other components used in data centers. Artificial intelligence (AI) companies like Microsoft -- already an Intel 18A customer -- are pouring billions into the development of data centers, one of several applications for Intel 18A. Should the development of data centers wane due to an inadequate supply of rare earths, the deleterious effects could trickle down to Intel. Of course, it's also important to acknowledge that Intel generates substantial revenue from its own data center business. From Xenon processors to Gaudi processors to software products, there are a various products that comprise Intel's data center and AI (DCAI) business. In 2024, DCAI revenue totaled $16.1 billion, or 30.4% of consolidated sales. This business could, likewise, be adversely impacted by constrained supply of rare earths. Intel's business could clearly suffer if China decides to restrict exports of rare earths again, but this alone isn't reason enough for investors to dismiss Intel stock. The fact that shares are currently trading at 14 times operating cash flow, a steep premium to the five-year average cash flow multiple of 7, is also important to recognize. With shares richly valued and uncertainty regarding trade with China, investors wary of risk will want to watch Intel from the sidelines at this point. Before you buy stock in Intel, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Intel wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $639,271!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $804,688!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 957% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 167% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of May 19, 2025 Scott Levine has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Intel and Microsoft. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft, short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft, and short May 2025 $30 calls on Intel. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Here's How Intel Could Be Affected by the United States' Rare Earths Trade With China was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
CNA
26-05-2025
- Business
- CNA
Putin says services like Microsoft, Zoom should be 'throttled' in Russia
MOSCOW :Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that foreign service providers like Microsoft and Zoom that act against Russian interests should be "throttled". Putin said it was important for Russia to develop domestic software solutions.
