ASML, the world's leading semiconductor equipment manufacturer, reported Q1 2026 earnings that beat expectations with 13% YoY revenue growth to €8.77 billion and raised its full-year revenue guidance to €36-40 billion (10-22% growth). As the sole producer of advanced EUV lithography systems essential for AI chip manufacturing, ASML's strong guidance signals continued momentum in the AI market and suggests the Nasdaq could reach new highs.

Anthropic is exploring the development of its own AI chips, which could benefit semiconductor partner Broadcom. While early-stage, if Anthropic partners with Broadcom for custom chip development, it would likely result in higher-margin revenue and deeper business relationships. However, Broadcom faces competition from Marvell Technology, which partners with Amazon—a major Anthropic investor.

While AMD, Broadcom, and Alphabet are formidable competitors to Nvidia in the AI data center space, the article argues that Nvidia's biggest threat comes from within—its own customers like Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon are developing internal AI chips that could erode Nvidia's pricing power and market dominance as GPU scarcity diminishes.

TSMC's record first-quarter profit driven by AI chip demand signals strong momentum ahead for Nvidia. TSMC CEO C.C. Wei highlighted that the shift to agentic AI is driving increased demand for leading-edge silicon, suggesting Nvidia's revenue opportunity is expanding rather than contracting. With Nvidia's superior GPU performance and annual chip updates, the company is well-positioned to maintain market leadership in the coming quarters.

Jose Najarro discusses investment opportunities in AI and semiconductor stocks following a recent market rally. The article highlights how the semiconductor sector continues to deliver strong returns driven by AI innovations, with focus on major tech companies in this space.

An analyst recommends five AI stocks for a portfolio starting from scratch: Nvidia and Broadcom as semiconductor suppliers benefiting from AI infrastructure buildout; Microsoft and Alphabet as cloud computing providers with usage-based AI revenue models; and Nebius as a high-risk, high-reward GPU-focused neocloud company experiencing rapid growth.

Broadcom stock rose 4.19% after announcing a major partnership with Meta to co-design custom AI accelerator chips. The multiyear, multi-gigawatt deal will leverage Broadcom's XPU platform and networking solutions to power Meta's AI infrastructure, positioning Broadcom as a key beneficiary of the AI boom while helping Meta reduce reliance on traditional chipmakers.

BlackRock forecasts an 80% surge in semiconductor earnings for 2026, driven by AI infrastructure demand. Nvidia is projected to achieve $215.94B in fiscal 2026 revenue (up 65% YoY), while AMD's data center revenue could climb 73% to $28.7B with GPU revenue doubling to $15B. However, geopolitical risks including potential Strait of Hormuz closure and supply chain disruptions pose significant headwinds to the sector.

The article identifies five AI stocks positioned to benefit if AI investing regains momentum after a weak start to 2026. The recommended stocks are Nvidia (strong growth projections), Broadcom (custom AI chips), Taiwan Semiconductor (critical supply chain player), SoundHound AI (recovery opportunity), and Nebius (rapid expansion in AI infrastructure).

Three AI-linked companies—Broadcom, Palantir, and Credo Technology—are positioned to report 50%+ growth in earnings and revenue as earnings season approaches. Broadcom expects 62.5% revenue growth and 50.6% EPS jump driven by AI accelerator demand. Palantir forecasts 74%+ Q1 revenue growth and 114% EPS growth, with strong commercial segment expansion. Credo Technology projects 55% revenue growth and 240% EPS improvement, benefiting from AI data center connectivity demand.

Palantir Technologies has become increasingly central to U.S. military operations, with President Trump recently praising its war-fighting capabilities. The company demonstrated strong 2025 growth with 70% revenue increase and expanded government contracts. However, despite its business strengths and strategic importance, the stock trades at extremely expensive valuations (220x trailing earnings), having declined 33% from November highs, prompting analysts to suggest waiting for better entry points.

The S&P 500 is near record highs as markets remain sensitive to Middle East geopolitical developments. Trump's comments suggesting the Iran war could end soon boosted sentiment, while softer-than-expected PPI data reduced expectations for Fed tightening. Banks benefited from trading activity, while some tech and semiconductor stocks showed mixed performance.