Business Technology News Roundup: Aug 15, 2025

Markets ended the week mixed as inflation concerns continued to influence investor behavior. Tech-led earnings from Cisco, Applied Materials, and other firms helped buy optimism, but analysts remain cautious ahead of the consumer price index (CPI) report.

The Federal Reserve could consider rate cuts as early as September if inflation shows cooling trends, a move that would directly impact tech valuations. High-growth companies, particularly in AI, semiconductors, and cloud computing, remain sensitive to borrowing costs.

For now, Wall Street sees the tech sector as both resilient and risky—resilient due to enterprise adoption of new technologies, but vulnerable to macroeconomic swings that affect capital expenditure.

Nexxen International announced an extension of its exclusive partnership with VIDAA, a rapidly growing Connected TV (CTV) platform. The deal secures exclusive ad monetization rights across North America until 2029, giving Nexxen deeper penetration into the streaming market.

As U.S. households increasingly cut the cord, CTV advertising has become one of the fastest-growing segments in digital media. Nexxen’s expanded role allows it to offer data-driven ad targeting for brands, while VIDAA gains a stronger monetization pipeline for its content ecosystem.

The partnership highlights the shift in consumer attention from traditional TV to smart TVs and streaming-first platforms, underscoring why advertisers are moving budgets into CTV and programmatic advertising.

SpaceX scored its fifth successful orbital mission of the year with the deployment of Amazon’s Project Kuiper satellites using a Falcon 9 rocket. The launch is part of Amazon’s push to build a global satellite internet constellation to rival SpaceX’s Starlink.

The mission reflects growing momentum in the satellite broadband race, which is projected to reshape global connectivity by providing internet to underserved regions. For Amazon, Kuiper is also a way to integrate its cloud business (AWS) with edge computing infrastructure delivered via orbit.

SpaceX continues to dominate the commercial launch sector, with its reusable rockets reducing costs and enabling rapid deployment. Analysts view the Kuiper partnership as a strategic alliance between two tech giants competing in cloud, logistics, and space.

Amid inflation concerns, Cisco Systems and Applied Materials delivered stronger-than-expected earnings that reassured investors about the resilience of enterprise technology spending.

Cisco reported continued growth in network infrastructure demand, driven by AI workloads and hybrid cloud adoption. Applied Materials, a leading semiconductor equipment supplier, saw a revenue boost tied to advanced chip manufacturing investments in the U.S. and Asia.

Their solid performance helped steady U.S. markets during a volatile week, highlighting how enterprise tech remains a backbone of growth even as consumer sentiment weakens. Analysts note that corporate IT spending is shifting toward AI readiness, cybersecurity, and scalable cloud platforms, creating long-term tailwinds for enterprise vendors.

In a groundbreaking move, Nvidia and AMD finalized a deal requiring them to hand over 15% of revenue from AI chip sales in China directly to the U.S. government. The agreement comes amid heightened scrutiny of semiconductor exports and fears over AI technology transfer to Beijing.

The unusual settlement preserves their export licenses, but analysts warn it could create a precedent where licensing depends on profit-sharing. Lawmakers remain divided: some hail it as a way to keep strategic technology under U.S. oversight, while others call it a “corporate tax in disguise.”

Both companies, already pressured by global demand for AI accelerators, face balancing the lucrative Chinese market with political risks. Investors are watching closely as this could set the tone for future semiconductor regulation and U.S.-China tech relations.