Intel to buy quantum software firm Classiq, Anthropic, SpaceX and Meta seek $250B, Google, Amazon, AMD - Big Tech Report

Intel has agreed to acquire Classiq, an Israeli quantum computing software company, for $2.3 billion, pairing Classiq's algorithm synthesis platform with Intel's silicon spin-qubit hardware. Classiq's software automates quantum circuit design, letting developers build applications without deep expertise in the underlying hardware. The deal is expected to close in the first half of 2027, subject to regulatory approvals, and Intel said it will continue to support Classiq's existing integrations across multiple hardware platforms.

The acquisition adds quantum processing units to Intel's compute portfolio alongside CPUs, GPUs and ASICs, and extends a quantum computing effort the company has run since 2015. Intel chief executive Lip-Bu Tan said the combination "transforms Intel's Quantum Computing Group into a full-stack quantum computing business." Intel shares were up 3.57% at $93.70 in regular trading.

Anthropic, SpaceX and Meta Platforms each unveiled plans on Monday to raise fresh capital for their AI ambitions, with the combined total approaching a quarter of a trillion dollars. Anthropic filed its S-1 for an initial public offering without disclosing a target raise, though Reuters has previously reported the figure could reach $100 billion. Meta announced offerings of depositary shares tied to mandatory convertible preferred stock and a separate Class A common stock offering connected to forward sale agreements, targeting as much as $95 billion, a move it had flagged alongside its third-quarter earnings. Separately, Broadcom chief executive Hock Tan is reported to have personally intervened to help seal a $63 billion debt deal with Anthropic, and SpaceX closed a $40 billion debt financing package for GPUs expected to arrive in the first half of 2027.

The scale of the capital rush underscores how dominant the largest AI players have become in credit and equity markets, at a time when smaller "neocloud" GPU providers are struggling to raise money on comparable terms. Meta shares were down 0.87% at $625.08, while SpaceX was up 1.29% at $148.79 and Broadcom rose 4.37% to $343.56 in regular trading.

Global server CPU shipments will reach 52.6 million units in 2027, up 45.7% year-over-year, according to a DIGITIMES forecast, as agentic AI, AI server buildouts, cloud providers' in-house chip ramp-ups and a rebound in general-purpose server replacement drive demand. Arm-based shipments are projected to grow 79.1%, far outpacing x86's 35.3% rise, though supply constraints in advanced process capacity, T-Glass and ABF substrates, and memory crowded out by AI accelerator demand will cap growth. Intel is expected to hold onto the top spot by shipment share, falling to 39% from its current position, while AMD climbs to 30.4%, narrowing the gap.

On revenue, AMD is forecast to overtake Intel in the server CPU market for the first time, reaching $31.2 billion in 2027 versus Intel's $28.7 billion, on higher average selling prices and sharply rising shipments. AMD shares rose 4.07% to $552.88 and Intel shares gained 3.57% to $93.70 in regular trading.

Google Photos for Android is rolling out a redesign of its Collections tab that lets users customize which shortcuts appear and in what order. A new "Pinned" section at the top defaults to Favorites, Screenshots and Trash, but users can swap in other cards or remove the section entirely. Carousels for On this device, Albums, People & pets, Wardrobe, Places and Documents follow, each with options to hide or reorder, while an "Other Collections" grid at the bottom holds the remaining shortcuts such as Moments, Videos, Recently Added, Stickers, Creations, Archive and Locked.

The update follows July's floating navigation bar change and is reaching users with Google Photos version 7.97 as a server-side rollout. Some users have found they can trigger the update by restarting their device and reopening the app, rather than force-stopping it.

IBM reported third-quarter revenue of $17.1 billion, up 5% year over year and ahead of the $16.82 billion analysts had expected, with adjusted earnings per share climbing 11% to $2.95 versus a $2.86 consensus. Software revenue rose 8%, led by Red Hat's 11% growth, while infrastructure revenue grew 4%. The z17 mainframe line was a weak spot, down 20%, and consulting revenue was flat at $7.8 billion. IBM reiterated full-year revenue growth guidance of 4% to 5% and said it is comfortable with analyst estimates of roughly $32 billion in full-year software revenue. Shares were down 0.21% at $252.87 in the regular session.

Alongside the steady core business, IBM is leaning on quantum computing as a potential catalyst. CEO Arvind Krishna called it "a strategic area of differentiation for IBM and a significant long-term opportunity" on the earnings call. The company is targeting a fault-tolerant quantum computer by 2029, built around its qLDPC error-correction codes and a new chip, Loon, designed to give superconducting qubits the long-range connectivity those codes require. IBM has advanced to Stage C of DARPA's Quantum Benchmarking Initiative, signed 16 enterprise quantum agreements this year and is building a manufacturing facility in Poughkeepsie, New York, as it works to differentiate its superconducting-qubit approach from the trapped-ion systems used by rivals IonQ and Quantinuum.

Amazon Web Services will connect its data centers over Verizon dark fiber for AI workloads under a deal Verizon valued at more than $2 billion, the carrier disclosed alongside third-quarter results. It follows a similar agreement with Google in July worth more than $1 billion, making AWS the second major AI infrastructure builder to sign on to what Verizon sells as AI Connect. CEO Dan Schulman told analysts the unit has booked almost $4 billion in contracts in six months, with other hyperscalers, neoclouds and large enterprises negotiating for dark or lit fiber, and some partners signing up to run AI inference at Verizon's network hubs.

None of that revenue has hit Verizon's income statement yet; Schulman said recognition will start in 2027, with the associated capital spending already folded into the company's 2026 guidance of $16.0 billion to $16.5 billion. For AWS, the deal comes as Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said the cloud unit has largely sold out its 2027 capacity and "a good chunk" of 2028, despite roughly $220 billion in planned capital spending this year. Amazon shares were up 0.82% at $251.13 and Google parent Alphabet's were up 0.85% at $319.50 in regular trading.