In this article, we discuss the 15 AI news that broke the internet this week.
Entrepreneurship in the United States has been surging since the pandemic and AI trends have served to bolster this phenomenon. Technology startups associated with AI have reached valuations in the tens of billions. Underpinning this situation is the rise in small businesses. According to the US Department of Treasury, an average of 430,000 new business applications were submitted monthly in 2024 — a 50% increase from 2019. However, the number of accountants needed to balance the books at these startups is diminishing. Per a report by tech news platform TechCrunch, nearly 75% of CPAs are projected to retire within a decade, and fewer graduates are pursuing accounting due to higher-paying opportunities in tech and finance.
Read more about these developments by accessing 10 Best AI Data Center Stocks and 10 Buzzing AI Stocks According to Goldman Sachs.
David Phillips, a serial entrepreneur, has addressed this gap through his venture Fondo. Fondo uses AI, software, and accounting experts to offer a subscription-based bookkeeping platform tailored to startups and small businesses. The platform has already gained traction, securing 1,200 customers, achieving $6 million in annual recurring revenue, and becoming profitable. It recently closed a $7 million seed funding round led by Tokyo-based Money Forward, with investors like Y Combinator and Motley Fool Ventures. The round values Fondo at $66 million.
Read more about these developments by accessing 30 Most Important AI Stocks According to BlackRock and Beyond the Tech Giants: 35 Non-Tech AI Opportunities.
For this article, we selected AI stocks by combing through news articles, stock analysis, and press releases. These stocks are also popular among hedge funds.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).
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AI News That Broke The Internet This Week
15. Evolv Technologies Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EVLV)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 18
Evolv Technologies Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EVLV) provides artificial intelligence-based weapons detection for security screening in the United States and internationally. On November 22, the company announced that it had received an expected delinquency notification letter from the Listing Qualifications Department of the Nasdaq Stock Market. The notice was a result of the delayed filing of the company’s earnings report for the quarter ended September this year. The delay is the result of a now largely complete internal investigation of the firm into certain sales practices that impacted revenue recognition and other metrics.
14. NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NASDAQ:NXPI)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 44
NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NASDAQ:NXPI) makes and sells various products related to semiconductors. NXP offers a comprehensive portfolio of microcontrollers and processors optimized for AI and machine learning applications in automotive, smart industrial and IoT industries. Latest reports, published by news agency Reuters, claim that comments made by European Semiconductor Industry Association head Rene Schroeder suggest that the EU is planning a second version of legislation aimed at improving domestic semiconductor manufacturing and production to include foundational and legacy semiconductors. While the previous version of the legislation aimed to reduce reliance on TSM, the latest rules might focus on providing some aid to European chipmakers like NXP, per the report.
13. Fortinet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FTNT)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 47
Fortinet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FTNT) provides cybersecurity and convergence of networking and security solutions worldwide. The Fortinet SecOps platform offers the broadest range of sensors that utilize AI and other advanced analytics to continuously assess cyberthreats. The firm recently released the 2024 Security Awareness and Training Global Research, stressing the importance of training employees to identify and prevent attacks like phishing. Per the report, these schemes often exploit AI to appear more credible, targeting individuals directly.
12. Dell Technologies Inc. (NYSE:DELL)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 60
Dell Technologies Inc. (NYSE:DELL) designs, develops, manufactures, markets, sells, and supports various comprehensive and integrated solutions, products, and services. Dell Engineering Technologist Tim Shedd recently spoke to tech news platform SiliconAngle on the sidelines of SC24, noting that Dell was tackling the rising demands of high-performance computing solutions by focusing on scalable, efficient and customer-friendly infrastructure. Per Shedd, as AI workloads intensified, Dell had prioritized advanced cooling strategies to manage increased heat densities and simplify deployment.
11. Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ:WDC)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 66
Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ:WDC) develops, manufactures, and sells data storage devices and solutions. It offers high-capacity, high-performance data storage across the six stages of the AI Data Cycle. On November 21, investment advisory Wells Fargo maintained an Overweight rating on the stock with a price target of $95, noting that news that Kioxia has achieved listing approval for a planned IPO at a $4.84 billion valuation range could be considered a derivative positive for Western Digital.
10. Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 68
Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) markets key technologies for smart devices. Latest reports, published by news platform Bloomberg, suggest that Lattice Semiconductor, an Oregon-based chip firm, is considering a bid for the Altera business of Intel. Altera is a manufacturer of programmable logic devices that Intel purchased back in 2015 for $16.7 billion. The report contends that Lattice is looking for private equity backers as it considers the bid. PE shops Francisco Partners, Bain Capital and Silver Lake are studying offers to invest in the logic devices maker, the report adds.
9. Datadog, Inc. (NASDAQ:DDOG)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 71
Datadog, Inc. (NASDAQ:DDOG) provides monitoring and analytics services. The firm specializes in cloud computing and AI-powered cybersecurity products. On November 22, BTIG analyst Gray Powell raised the price target on the stock to $171 from $149 and kept a Buy rating on the shares after meeting with its management team. The commentary from the meeting was very positive as the company described the macro environment as stable with a positive upward tilt, the analyst told investors in a research note. That assessment was consistent with commentary from the last few quarters, but encouraging all the same, BTIG notes, adding that Datadog also stands to benefit from greater AI adoption.
8. CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRWD)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 74
CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRWD) provides cloud-delivered protection across endpoints and cloud workloads, identity, and data. The firm is harnessing artificial intelligence to streamline and strengthen cyber protection. On November 22, JPMorgan analyst Brian Essex raised the price target on the stock to $369 from $330 and kept an Overweight rating on the shares ahead of the Q3 report on November 26. The results could be much better than some anticipate, the analyst told investors in a research note. The advisory says expectations were revised materially lower last quarter and guidance established relatively conservative and wide goalposts to set expectations for performance after the unprecedented event.
7. QUALCOMM Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 74
QUALCOMM Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM) develops and sells foundational technologies for the wireless industry. The AI-capable chips of QUALCOMM are now making their way into cars and IoT devices, after powering smartphones globally. Cristiano Amon, the CEO of the firm, recently said during the QUALCOMM Investor Day that the chipmaker was focused on diversification as generative AI increased the demand for the technology offered by his company. Per Amon, as quoted by tech news platform Communications Today, QUALCOMM was well positioned to address a total addressable market of $900 billion by 2030 with a new ecosystem of customers and partners.
6. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 158
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM) makes and sells integrated circuits and semiconductors. TrendForce, a Taiwan-based market information firm, recently released a report detailing that the $65 billion TSM investment in the US would enable the North American country to become the second largest maker of advanced semiconductor processes by 2027. Estimates from the market research firm suggest that the US will account for a 21% share in the global advanced IC production market by 2027, sharply up from the current 9%, moving up one spot in the table.
5. Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 160
Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) is a California-based technology company that owns and runs the internet search engine Google. On November 21, Wells Fargo analyst Ken Gawrelski maintained an Equal Weight rating on the stock, noting that Wells views the DOJ’s remedy filing as the likely worst-case scenario for Google and sees opportunity for further negotiation in proposed remedies with the upcoming change in DOJ leadership. It sees meaningful risk to Google’s competitive position due to the behavioral remedy proposal that prohibits the company from paying for search distribution. The DOJ’s structural remedy proposal of Chrome separation, if accepted by the judge, potentially puts at least 15% of Google search revenue at risk, contends the firm.
4. NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 193
NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) provides graphics, computing and networking solutions. Latest reports, published by news agency Reuters, claim that CoreWeave, an AI startup backed by NVIDIA, is aiming to raise more than $3 billion in its IPO, valuing the startup at over $35 billion. The IPO may take place sometime during the second quarter next year. The startup has raised $12.7 billion in equity and debt financing over the past 12 months, including a $7.5 billion debt financing round in May.
3. Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 235
Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) engages in the development of products that enable people to connect and share with friends and family. Latest reports from research platform Counterpoint suggest that the total shipments for Ray Ban Meta, the AI-capable smart glasses marketed by Meta, have crossed the 1 million mark. This makes the glasses the most successful display-less smart glasses to date. However, the platform contends that the smart glasses market remains constrained by limited functionalities, uncomfortable wearing experience, unfriendly interaction and low battery life.
2. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 279
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a Washington-based technology company. The company recently began rolling out the AI-powered Recall feature across limited devices. Per reports, the AI features, which include AI previews and Click-to-Do, are only available to Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel that have a Copilot Plus PC. The features were first announced back in May but have only now begun rolling out on Microsoft devices. Microsoft has said the delay in the introduction of the features was related to improving security and privacy.
1. Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 286
Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) operates as a technology conglomerate with core interests in the ecommerce business. On November 22, the company announced the preview of generative AI upgrades for Spark, a multi-language engine for executing data engineering, data science, and machine learning on single-node machines or clusters. The updates will allow a new capability that enables data practitioners to quickly upgrade and modernize their Spark applications running on AWS. The new updates will also reduce the time data engineers spend on modernizing their Spark applications, allowing them to focus on building new data pipelines.
While we acknowledge the potential of Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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