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President Trump's Tariff Policies Cause Market Turmoil

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On April 4, 2025, President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariff policies sent shockwaves through global financial markets, triggering widespread turmoil and stoking fears of an economic downturn. The administration’s decision to impose sweeping tariffs—ranging from a 10% baseline on all imports to targeted rates as high as 50% on key trading partners like China, Canada, and Mexico—marked a dramatic escalation in Trump’s long-standing pledge to reshape U.S. trade. While the president touts these measures as a means to boost domestic manufacturing and reduce the $1.2 trillion goods trade deficit, the immediate fallout has been a steep market sell-off, with the S&P 500 plunging nearly 5% in a single day, its worst performance since June 2020. The tariffs, unveiled in a White House address, aim to retaliate against perceived trade imbalances and practices like currency manipulation. Trump argues they will force companies to relocate production to the U.S., creating jobs and strengthenin...
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AI chips shortage 2.0 – after Nvidia’s H200, who’s next in line?

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The global AI chip market is experiencing a renewed supply crunch, dubbed "AI Chips Shortage 2.0," as demand for high-performance processors continues to outpace supply. Following the widespread adoption of Nvidia's H200 GPUs, attention is now turning to emerging alternatives aiming to fill the gap.


AMD's MI325X: A Strong Contender

AMD has introduced the MI325X AI accelerator, featuring 256GB of HBM3e memory and 6 TB/s bandwidth. This chip is designed to compete directly with Nvidia's H200, offering enhanced performance for AI workloads. AMD's flexible infrastructure and growing partnerships with major tech companies position it as a viable alternative in the AI chip market. 

Huawei's Ascend 920: China's Response

In response to U.S. export restrictions on Nvidia's H20 chips, Huawei unveiled the Ascend 920 AI processor. Built on a 6nm process, it delivers over 900 TFLOPs of performance and 4 TB/s memory bandwidth. Huawei's CloudMatrix 384 system, integrating multiple Ascend chips, reportedly surpasses Nvidia's GB200 in performance, though it consumes more power. 

Hyperscalers Developing In-House Solutions

Major cloud service providers are investing in custom AI chips to reduce reliance on Nvidia. Amazon's Trainium2, Google's Trillium, and Microsoft's Maia 100 are examples of in-house accelerators tailored for specific AI workloads. These developments aim to alleviate supply constraints and offer cost-effective alternatives. 

Supply Chain Challenges Persist

The shortage isn't limited to GPUs; high-bandwidth memory (HBM) components are also in short supply. SK Hynix's HBM products are nearly fully booked through 2025, with prices increasing due to high demand. TSMC's packaging technology, essential for integrating HBM with GPUs, is another bottleneck, though capacity expansions are underway. 

In summary, while Nvidia remains a dominant force in the AI chip market, companies like AMD and Huawei are emerging as strong contenders. The development of in-house solutions by major cloud providers further diversifies the landscape. However, supply chain challenges, particularly concerning HBM availability and packaging technologies, continue to impact the industry's ability to meet growing demand.


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