Episode 118: Weekly Update (Tariffs), AI Budget Spend, Semis and Saudi's
Ben Bajarin and Jay Goldberg discuss the semiconductor industry's response to a 90-day tariff pause between the US and China, noting that while the market reacted positively, the long-term impact remains uncertain and supply chains are becoming more complex. They analyze Broadcom's third-generation co-packaged optical switch as a key technology for reducing power consumption in AI servers, contrasting it with traditional optical DSPs. The hosts also cover Saudi Arabia's massive investment in sovereign AI infrastructure, partnering with Nvidia, AMD, and Cisco, and debate the viability of nation-state-owned AI data centers versus public cloud models.