Baidu Q2 2025 revenue fell 4% to RMB 32.7B due to weak ads. Non-online marketing, driven by AI Cloud, grew 34%. Baidu pushes AI (ERNIE 4.5, MuseSteamer, Apollo Go global expansion), but faces economic downturn & rivals.
SoftBank's Masayoshi Son met Intel's CEO to discuss acquiring its struggling chipmaking unit. SoftBank has invested $2 billion in Intel, buying shares at $23, making it the sixth-largest shareholder with ~2% ownership.
TeraWulf's Lake Mariner campus adds 160 MW for Fluidstack, reaching 360 MW total. Google's backstop hits $3.2B, increasing its stake to 14% in this key AI infrastructure build-out.
Trump administration considers using Chips Act funds for an equity stake in struggling Intel, signaling a new era of direct government intervention in US industrial policy for national security.
TeraWulf secured a $3.7B AI deal with Fluidstack (Google-backed), adding 200+ MW. Google will backstop $1.8B of Fluidstack's lease obligations and receive an approximately 8% equity stake in TeraWulf. The deal could reach $8.7B with extensions.
CoreWeave faces a profitability precipice despite surging AI demand, amid record losses, soaring expenses, and massive capital expenditures.
