TechCheck

Tech giants and AI startups have all been working to get their hands on Nvidia’s upcoming Blackwell chips – but it’s the Japanese tech conglomerate Softbank that is set to receive them first. For Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, it’s a way for Nvidia to diversify away from its large U.S. customers to new opportunities in Japan. 

Box CEO Aaron Levie joins CNBC’s Deirdre Bosa to discuss why software stocks have been performing so well, how a new Trump term will impact tech regulations, and more.

Traffic to ChatGPT is booming, now ranked the 8th most-visited website worldwide, according to Similarweb. But its incredible rise comes right as concerns in Silicon Valley grow over whether the advancement of AI models is slowing down due to the data wall. 

The next phase of AI development involves inference, the stage in which the models that have been trained are applied and generate responses. There, specialized chips developed Amazon and Google are designed to be more cost-effective and efficient than GPUs – and could be an opening for big tech firms to break into Nvidia’s stronghold. 

The incoming Trump administration and Elon Musk’s role in it could be a new catalyst in the equation of how robotaxis will impact ridesharing. Lyft and Uber over the last few months have been on a dealmaking frenzy, most of them centered around autonomous driving. But now that Elon Musk’s influence is growing, that push could become more urgent – and tie-ups could go from partnerships to all-out consolidation. 

The impact of a second Trump administration on the AI trade: less regulation, potentially more volatility, and the China threat could all mean faster, unfettered development of the industry -- plus how Elon Musk's influence on AI policy could boost xAI against startup rivals.

The focus for big tech this earnings season has been finding ways to monetize AI – and one use that’s emerged is the military. Shares of Palantir surged after the company cited a boom in demand for its AI software from the U.S. government. And it’s not alone as other AI giants including Meta and OpenAI also look to expand their work with defense agencies. 

As users search for election and voting information in new ways, generative AI startups may have the solution -- proving nimbler with less to lose than big tech firms. The startup Perplexity just unveiled a new dedicated election hub, promising answers to questions ranging from polling locations to election results, while for big tech names like Meta and Google, the lessons from 2016 may still be fresh. 

AI is the next catalyst for growth for the hyperscalers Amazon, Microsoft and Google – but whether it can offset spending is still unsettled. Alphabet’s quarter shows GCP is gaining on the other two, growing at a blowout 35% and changing the cloud landscape. 

The market still hasn’t seen any examples of huge success in AI monetization for consumer-facing products, but Apple is differentiated in that its AI is free with a new Iphone or recent product. We dive into whether or not that will work out. Plus, OpenAI is rolling out a search function for ChatGPT, able to provide realtime access to things like sports, weather, and stock data, in a major challenge to Google and startup Perplexity. 

Come Election Day, the future of big tech won’t be decided by either presidential candidate. Instead, OpenAI co-founder and CEO Sam Altman has emerged as one of the most powerful people shaping AI policy. He’s put on a masterclass in wooing Washington, learning from Mark Zuckerberg and social media’s missteps on the Hill. And he’s turned OpenAI into a lobbying powerhouse, bringing on staff with deep ties to DC like its head of Global Affairs Chris Lehane. But just like when social media was in its early stages, lawmakers don’t have a handle on AI yet as the stakes only grow larger. Can we trust the people behind the curtain?

Shares of Alphabet jumped after reporting a big Q3 beat, reporting strong growth in cloud, search and YouTube. But one number you might not have seen yet: over 25% of all new code at Google is generated by AI. We dive into what that could mean for big tech earnings ahead and their push to be more efficient. 

A big check on AI demand and spending is coming after the bell when Alphabet and AMD both report third-quarter results. Investors are looking to AMD’s print to see how it’s faring in its uphill climb to compete against Nvidia. Alphabet’s capex spending could also be a bellwether for how the rest of big tech earnings will shape up

As power-hungry tech companies work to fuel AI data centers, the race for nuclear energy is on. Amazon led a $500 million investment into X-Energy, which develops small modular reactors. We spoke with CEO Clay Sell on what’s behind the nuclear craze. Plus, AI startup Sierra just raised a new $175 million in capital, quadrupling its valuation from January to $4.5 billion. We sit down with co-founder Bret Taylor on the age of the AI agents. 

Alphabet -owned Waymo just announcing a new $5.6B funding round led by its parent company with participation from investors including Fidelity, a16z, Silver Lake and Tiger Global. The robotaxi service has seen daily rides grow ten-fold in the past year, to more than 100,000 weekly paid trips.