Skyworks Solutions to Exit PHLX Semiconductor Index as Qorvo Merger Advances

Anthropic has signed a computing deal worth at least $11.6 billion with Akamai, sending shares of European companies tied to the artificial intelligence buildout higher on Friday. Under the agreement, Akamai will provide Anthropic with access to central processing units, while Anthropic will receive a warrant to buy Series B shares at $111.33 each, convertible into 7.7 million common shares. The contract is Akamai's largest ever and marks an acceleration of its push beyond its core content delivery and cybersecurity businesses; the company expects to spend about $5.5 billion on capital expenditures tied to the agreement, more than six times its total 2025 capital spending. The deal follows a $1.8 billion computing agreement between the two companies earlier this year, as Anthropic expands capacity for its Claude AI software and strikes deals with providers including Alphabet's Google and Elon Musk's SpaceX. In European trading, ASML Holding rose 2.3%, BE Semiconductor Industries gained 1.6%, ASM International added 1.03%, Infineon Technologies climbed 1.2% and STMicroelectronics advanced 2.01%, while data-center-linked Siemens Energy and Prysmian each rose 2%.

The Board of Investment has succeeded in attracting Infineon Technologies Manufacturing (Thailand) Co., Ltd., Germany's leading chipmaker, to invest more than 48 billion baht and officially open a new semiconductor plant in Samut Prakan province on 1 October 2026, with the Prime Minister presiding over the ceremony. The plant will be the company's third Power Module production hub, after Germany and China, covering the production of power control chip systems, semiconductor testing, and the establishment of Thailand's first large-scale semiconductor product research and development centre. Under the investment promotion conditions, the company must develop at least 600 Thai personnel in science and technology, comprising more than 400 production-line engineers and more than 200 research and development staff, as well as send more than 130 Thai personnel for specialised technology training abroad and develop at least 14 Thai entrepreneurs, with research and development expenses of no less than 2.8 billion baht. Narit Therdsteerasukdi, Secretary-General of the Board of Investment, said this investment is one reflection of the fact that Thailand's industrial base is ready to receive investment under the national semiconductor strategy, which was approved by the semiconductor board chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas on 24 September 2026. The strategy aims to attract at least 500 billion baht in investment in the first five years and 2.5 trillion baht by 2050, generating industrial revenue of more than 5 trillion baht per year and creating at least 230,000 additional high-skilled jobs.

Microchip Technology has launched its PAC1761 and PAC1861 digital power monitor families, a product update that draws attention to how the stock reflects the company's exposure to 48V power architectures. The company's total data center revenue is expected to increase from about US$591 million in 2025 to roughly US$1 billion in 2026, with PCIe Gen6 design wins including an estimated US$100 million annual program starting in 2027. The share price has fallen 15.06% over the past 90 days despite a 14.85% year-to-date share price return, while total shareholder return over five years of 8.54% points to more modest long-run progress. The most widely followed narrative values Microchip Technology at a fair value of $108.64 against a last close of $74.69, implying 31% undervaluation, though the current P/E of 110.5x sits well above the US Semiconductor industry on 47.3x and peer averages on 67.5x. Elevated inventories, ongoing underutilization charges, and external foundry and packaging constraints could undermine the view that the stock is currently undervalued.