AI funnels attract more semiconductor factories, accelerating the geometric progression of their stock growth

Brief annotation

A year ago investors rejected Intel, but now its shares are rising at a record pace. During 2025‑2026 semiconductor companies experienced a surge in demand from AI technologies, which led to a $3.8 trillion increase in the S&P 500 market cap and new historic highs for Intel, SanDisk, and Micron Technology.

1. What changed in demand
Sector Revenue/condition before 2025‑26 After GPU (graphics processors) Main driver of AI model training Still important but not the only factor CPU and memory Remained in the shadows Demand grew thanks to new agent-based AI models that run round-the-clock and generate huge volumes of data
A new Anthropic model showed that AI agents can autonomously perform tasks. This increased the need for central processors and memory, and the chip shortage pushed prices up.

2. Financial effect
- Intel: shares rose 239 % since the start of the year; a new all‑time high reached for the first time in 26 years.
- SanDisk: share growth – 558 %.
- Micron Technology: share growth – 770 %, becoming one of the most expensive U.S. companies.

Micron* FY 2026 projected revenue: $107 million (vs. $15.5 million in 2023 and an operating loss).
* Expected operating profit: $77 million.
* P/E ratio for the next 12 months: 8.9 (compared to the S&P 500 average of 23).

3. Investment funds and private players
Fund/investor Strategy Last year’s results
SOXL (ETF on NYSE Semiconductor Index) Derivatives: +1 % in the index → +3 %, a drop is three times larger Growth ~1200 %
PHLX Semiconductor Index Comparison with 2000 Best growth over the last 6 weeks (since March 10, 2000)
Private investors post profit screenshots on Reddit and X. Analysts warn of possible parallels to the dot‑com bubble.

4. Expert opinions
- Jonathan Cofsky (Janus Henderson): “We see a territorial takeover: the largest tech companies are buying everything available—semiconductors and computing power—which brings record profits.”
- Peter Feinberg (retirement lawyer from San Francisco): after 10 years of investing in Broadcom and TSMC, he notes a “somewhat surreal” return. He is considering selling part of his shares but admits that the “crazy” price movements could last longer than usual.

5. Conclusion
Demand for computing resources from AI technologies has turned the semiconductor market into a dynamic and profitable sector. Shares of Intel, SanDisk, and Micron have reached new highs, and both institutional and private investors are actively participating in price growth. Nevertheless, experts remind of risks, comparing the current situation to the early 2000s dot‑com bubble.