Chip gold rush

Everyone's watching the AI race right now, but not nearly enough people are paying attention to who's actually cashing the cheques - the battle’s intensifying between US and Chinese chip makers… and no, not the deep fried kind but just as desirable.

We’re talking chips that are tiny semiconductor devices packed with millions or billions of transistors. More than technology, chips are critical to the global supply chain and a key battleground between the US and China, impacting the global economy and national security.

The AI stack has multiple layers, and the money isn't landing evenly across them. For smart investors, that imbalance will also create opportunities, and the important part will be knowing where to look.

To your investing,

Chips are big business. US chip maker Nvidia just booked $96 billion in revenue for a single quarter, but told investors to expect nothing from China next quarter. Not because Washington won't let it sell, but because Beijing won't let its tech giants buy. Days later, a mystery model called Ox-Alpha quietly became the most-used AI model on a major developer site. Turns out it's Chinese, and its creators claim the whole thing ran on local silicon.

Closer to home, NEXTDC (ASX:NXT) is expanding its data centre capacity - inking binding contracts for 740 megawatts of data centre capacity but has only built 288, and it's spending up to $5.75 billion this financial year to close the gap. Meanwhile, Appen’s (ASX:APX), Chinese business has surged 80% while Western revenues shrank. As US and Chinese tech giants fight over chips and models, Appen is quietly supplying the raw training data to both sides.

An invitation to learn about investing in the age of AI

As a former ASA Director, I know first-hand the value investors get from being in a room with hand-selected experts from across Australia and TSN has put a spotlight on the speakers with interviews this week. As AI reshapes markets there has never been a more important time to challenge thinking, ask better questions and hear directly from the people shaping the investment landscape.

ASA Queensland Investor Summit
Sunday 13 September – Tuesday 15 September 2026
The Langham, Gold Coast
👉 Register here to attend

Click to watch a preview of what to expect at ASA’s event

Teaminvest Private Group (ASX:TIP) - The human AI investing edge

While AI can process enormous amounts of information, Head of Funds Management and Education, Sanjee Narendran outlines where humans still have the greatest edge when it comes to investing.

Starpharma (ASX:SPL, US OTC:SPHRY) - Building a biotech AI future

AI is rapidly changing drug discovery and development and CEO Cheryl Maley discusses the opportunities in AI use in drug development and biotechnology, also where human expertise remain critical.

Argo Investments (ASX:ARG) - Finding income in the age of AI

As the Managing Director of one of Australia’s oldest listed investment companies Jason Beddow highlights how to find income in a concentrated Australian market and what AI cannot replace.

Noxopharm (ASX:NOX) - Activating immune cells against dying cancer cells

NOX CEO Olivier Laczka outlines how the company has generated new preclinical data showing its Sofra™ technology can activate immune cells in response to dying cancer cells.

Myopharm - Advancing TriGlytza® as a new treatment for Type 2 diabetes

Myopharm CEO and Executive Chair Karinza Phoenix discusses TriGlytza®, its clinical pathway and the company’s growth strategy.

Pengana Global Private Credit Trust (ASX:PCX) - Private credit is booming, how you access it matters

PCX CEO Nehemiah Richardson discusses why access matters as much as allocation, how to put the strategy into practice and how to separate noise from real credit risk.

Dicker Data (ASX:DDR) - Australia’s AI distribution partner

The AI boom isn't just for the likes of Nvidia and Amazon, Chair and MD Fiona Brown has steered DDR to a 54% surge in net profit after tax.

Acusensus (ASX:ACE) - Victoria calls in the road-safety specialists

ACE has landed its first Victorian Government contract, worth $1.7 million, to install two fixed road-safety camera systems on a Victorian freeway.

DXN (ASX:DXN) - The contracted backlog just hit a record $40.9 million

AI high-performance computing wins have pushed contracted work to an all-time high of $40.9 million, with a modular data centre pipeline building across Asia-Pacific.

Axiant Resources (ASX:AXR) is a gold focused explorer with a district scale exploration portfolio and drill-confirmed shallow gold system in the Pine Creek Orogen, Northern Territory.

Almasar Minerals (ASX:AMK) is a mineral explorer that owns five granted exploration licences located within the Arabian Shield in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Powerhaus Uranium (ASX:POW) is a uranium exploration company targeting the discovery of regional-scale roll-front and calcrete-hosted uranium in Argentina, together with basement-hosted uranium in Canada.

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