Chips Don’t Get Made Without This Power Player

Author

Noah Zelvis
September 26, 2025

Every AI boom needs someone selling the shovels. That’s where this under-the-radar semiconductor supplier comes in.

With demand for its fabrication tools surging and momentum traders circling, this stock may have a lot more room to run.

Automation Breakthrough Ahead (Sponsored)

On Behalf of The FUTR Corp.

Every tech cycle has its turning point.

The moment a breakthrough goes from hype to everyday life.

In smartphones, it was the iPhone.

In EVs, it was Tesla.

In streaming, it was Netflix.

Now the same setup is happening in AI.

The first wave was chatbots. But the real wealth could come from AI Agents.

Agents that scan contracts, trigger payments, and deliver offers in real time.

And this tiny stock is first in line:

This isn’t vaporware. The rails are already proven:

  • $3B+ processed through FUTR Pay

  • 1M+ transactions live across the platform

  • 88% gross margins — rare for any small-cap tech

  • Zero-party data structured in personal vaults instead of being scraped by Big Tech

  • Data Protocol + Utility Token ready to monetize every transaction

Zero-party data is becoming the new oil.  It’s structured, verified, and licensed directly by consumers. With their new payment platform and a Utility Token fueling every exchange, this model could turn the data economy into a perpetual revenue machine.

The big trigger? A Q3 2025 consumer launch that could put it on the radar overnight.

Don’t wait until CNBC is hyping it.

Get the name and stock symbol here before the crowd.

*Examples that we provide of share price increases pertaining to a particular Issuer from one referenced date to another represent an arbitrarily chosen time period and are no indication whatsoever of future stock prices for that Issuer and are of no predictive value. Our stock profiles are intended to highlight certain companies for YOUR further investigation; they are NOT stock recommendations or constitute an offer or sale of the referenced securities.

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AI

AI Needs More Juice, CoreWeave Delivers a $6.5B Charge

CoreWeave (NASDAQ: CRWV) just signed a $6.5 billion deal with OpenAI, adding to a growing pile of mega-contracts between the two.

The move pushes their total agreements to more than $22 billion, cementing CoreWeave as one of OpenAI’s go-to cloud partners.

If you’re watching from the sidelines, it feels like CoreWeave is quietly becoming the electricity grid of the AI boom.

Feeding the AI Hunger

Training giant models takes insane amounts of GPU muscle, and CoreWeave’s entire business is built around providing exactly that.

This deal ensures OpenAI gets the firepower it needs to continue scaling up ChatGPT and any new agents it has in development.

For CoreWeave, though, the growth comes with a catch.

A handful of mega-clients, including OpenAI, Nvidia, and Microsoft, make up the majority of its business, which means concentration risk looms large.

The Cloud Kingmaker Question

Wall Street still loves the story — CoreWeave’s shares are up more than 200% since March. The company is hustling deals at a pace that makes it look less like a startup and more like an AI utility.

If AI is the gold rush, CoreWeave just positioned itself as the one selling the shovels. And for now, you’re watching one of the few players turning AI hype into actual billions.

Apps

Meta Thinks You Want AI-Generated Cats Kneading Dough. Do You?

Meta (NASDAQ: META) just launched “Vibes,” a short-form AI video feed inside the Meta AI app and meta.ai.

Think TikTok or Reels, but every clip is machine-made from fuzzy creatures bouncing on cubes to an Egyptian woman casually taking a balcony selfie in ancient Thebes.

You can generate a video from scratch or remix something you stumble across, then layer in music, swap styles, and post it to your feed.

Meta even partnered with Midjourney and Black Forest Labs to kickstart the visuals while it builds its own models.

AI Slop on Tap

The problem is obvious: social platforms are already drowning in AI content, and Meta just turned on a bigger faucet.

Meta says the algorithm will learn your tastes over time. But if your taste isn’t “cats baking bread in uncanny valleys,” you might find yourself swiping out fast.

Why Meta Is Doing It Anyway

Behind the cringe, there’s strategy. Meta has been scrambling to prove it’s serious about AI after rivals like OpenAI and Google DeepMind pulled ahead.

So now you get to decide: is Vibes the future of social, or just another experiment headed for the graveyard? Either way, you’re about to see a lot more weird cats.

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Quantum Computing

Cisco Wants to Be the Middleman for the Quantum Cloud

Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) has just released software designed to integrate quantum computers from different manufacturers into a single cloud.

Instead of choosing between IBM, Google, or Microsoft’s flavor of quantum computing, the tool promises to split up problems and send them to whichever machine is best suited for the job.

It’s less about building the fastest quantum hardware and more about being the switchboard operator that connects everything, so developers can actually use it.

Making Rivals Play on the Same Team

Quantum machines all work differently, from trapped ions to superconducting qubits, and none of them like playing nice.

Cisco’s pitch is simple: let us figure out who’s good at what, while you focus on writing your algorithms.

By acting as the translator, Cisco hopes to carve out its own lane in the quantum race without having to bet on a single type of machine.

Think of it as quantum’s version of cloud networking — but still very much in beta.

The Quiet Shortcut to Quantum Apps

Developers could suddenly tap multiple quantum systems without caring about the quirks under the hood.

For you, it means the day quantum apps actually hit your life — from drug discovery to finance — might arrive a little faster.

Quantum is still in its early days, but Cisco has just made the case that the future won’t be about one machine. It’ll be about who can connect them all.

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Recent Tech Movers

Calix Inc (NYSE: CALX)
Wi-Fi Wires and Winning Moves
Calix is that quiet neighbor who suddenly pulls up in a new Tesla, you didn’t see it coming, but the signs were there.

The stock is up 84% this year as broadband demand keeps climbing.

Their new ASM5001 system bundles multiple functions into one, saving providers both time and money (think of it as the Swiss Army knife of internet infrastructure).

They’ve also brought in a new CMO with an AI background to spice up the marketing playbook.

Analysts are penciling in 12%+ growth ahead. Not flashy, but if you believe boring internet plumbing pays the bills, Calix might keep surprising.

Yiren Digital Ltd (NYSE: YRD)
Fintech, With a Side of Dim Sum Dividends
Yiren is a small Chinese fintech that’s been throwing punches way above its weight class. Shares are up 56% this year, it pays a fat 7% dividend, and trades at a bargain-bin P/E under 3. How often do you see that combo?

The company’s folding AI into everything, loan approvals, e-commerce, insurance brokerage, and it’s showing in the numbers.

Loan volumes are up 36% YoY, insurance premiums up 27% sequentially. Sure, the Chinese economy is messy, but Yiren’s quietly chugging along.

Cheap, profitable, and still growing, it’s hard not to look twice.

NICE Ltd (NASDAQ: NICE)
Customer Service Gets a Glow-Up
NICE is trying to make customer experience less… painful. Their AI business jumped 42% last quarter, and the acquisition of Cognigy should add even more fuel. JMP sees $85M in extra ARR from that deal by 2026.

The stock’s been whipsawed by analyst takes.

Barclays cut their target, and JMP held strong at $300 recently, but underneath the noise, you’ve got 67% gross margins, low debt, and partnerships with heavyweights like Salesforce and ServiceNow.

If CX is the next AI battleground, NICE could be a sleeper pick.

Steady Gains Ahead (Sponsored)

The Fed is uncertain.

The Trade War is rattling markets.

Retail investors are panicking, but smart money is moving in.

They’re quietly loading up on 3 consumer defensive plays:

Utilities – Renewable energy leader at a 42% discount, 8% yield.
Staples – 18 household brands, 54-year dividend streak, sales up 19%.
Healthcare – Telehealth disruptor with 2,300+ hospital partners, 3x revenue growth.

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The Chip Whisperer That’s Not So Quiet Anymore

Lam Research (NASDAQ: LRCX): Lam is one of those behind-the-scenes players, but every chip company is basically living on its gear.

Up 80%+ this year, it’s been a rocket ride, and momentum folks are still pounding the table.

Here’s the deal. Lam makes wafer fabrication equipment. Without it, Nvidia, AMD, and the rest of the silicon all-stars don’t get their chips.

Think of Lam as the bartender at the AI party, nobody talks about them, but without the drinks, the whole thing shuts down.

The fundamentals back it up, too. Earnings revisions keep trending higher, margins are solid, and revenue is climbing with the foundry buildout.

Wall Street is catching on, as Zacks slapped it with a screaming buy momentum score. At a ~$167B market cap, it’s not tiny, but it’s still growing like one.

Risks are valuation isn’t dirt cheap at 31x earnings, and any slowdown in capex from hyperscalers could sting.

But with governments throwing billions at domestic chip fabs and AI demand only going one direction (up), Lam is sitting in the sweet spot.

If you’re looking for the picks and shovels play on the AI gold rush, this is it.

You don’t need to guess which AI model wins when you own the company selling the shovel to all of them. And right now, Lam’s shovels are flying off the shelves.

Everything Else

  • 💸 Stablecoin giant Tether is reportedly chasing a $500 billion valuation in a new capital raise, putting it in Big Tech territory.

  • 🤖 Alibaba shares popped after the CEO showed off fresh AI products and spending plans that signal a full-court press into the sector.

  • 📺 YouTube creators banned for COVID or election misinformation can now apply for reinstatement, marking a big policy shift.

  • 🎬 Disney is hiking subscription prices for the fourth straight year, testing how much magic families are willing to pay for.

  • 🚸 Canadian officials say TikTok needs to step up protections to keep kids off the app, piling more pressure on the platform.

That's our coverage for today; thanks for reading! Reply to this email with feedback or any tech stocks you want me to check out.

Best Regards,
—Noah Zelvis
Tech Stock Insider