Silicon Valley's conference season kicks off amid AI, tariff trepidation

Wed, May 14, 2025, 12:47 PM 4 min read

It's springtime, which means the birds are chirping, flowers are blooming, and Silicon Valley is kicking disconnected its large league season. Things get started successful earnest adjacent week erstwhile Google (GOOG, GOOGL) and Microsoft (MSFT) big their yearly I/O and Build developer events.

Chip giants AMD (AMD), Intel (INTC), Nvidia (NVDA), and Qualcomm (QCOM), meanwhile, volition caput to Taipei, Taiwan, to enactment successful the Computex Taipei tech expo. In June, Apple volition clasp its WWDC 2025 conference, providing the satellite with a deeper look into the company's AI plans.

The events, however, travel arsenic the tech manufacture continues to wrestle with issues ranging from the interaction of President Trump's tariffs to AI maturation fears to concerns astir spot export restrictions.

It volition marque for an absorbing mates of shows arsenic each institution works to quell capitalist anxiousness and supply a affirmative outlook for their aboriginal products and services.

Microsoft begins its Build league May 19 with a keynote by CEO Satya Nadella and CTO Kevin Scott. Expect the institution to supply plentifulness of updates connected its Copilot AI bundle for some the endeavor and user markets.

Investors volition look for AI improvements for Microsoft's Azure unreality computing platform, arsenic good arsenic however it plans to further integrate Copilot into its Microsoft 365 productivity suite.

During its astir caller quarter, Microsoft said AI accounted for 16 percent points of maturation for Azure, amended than the 15.6 points analysts were anticipating.

Investors person raised concerns, however, astir the Windows maker's determination to propulsion backmost connected immoderate of its information halfway lease plans, driving fears that Microsoft believes it's overinvesting successful AI.

Nadella changeable down those worries during Microsoft's 3rd 4th net call, saying the institution regularly makes changes to its information halfway plans and that investors are lone noticing those moves due to the fact that they began paying much attraction to them precocious arsenic they way AI growth.

CFO Amy Hood besides pointed retired that Microsoft expects to stay resource-constrained into the June 4th arsenic it works to physique retired capable AI capableness for its customers.

On the user side, Microsoft volition apt supply updates for its Copilot+ PCs — Windows 11-based PCs with AI capabilities. The institution is coming up connected the extremity of enactment for Windows 10 PCs, which it volition astir surely deed connected during its show.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai volition present his ain keynote code astatine his company's I/O developer league connected May 20.