Semiconductor Sector Sees Sharp Divergence as NVIDIA Surges on PC Market Entry, Qualcomm Plunges

U.S. stock indices opened lower on Monday evening, Beijing time, with the semiconductor sector experiencing a significant split in performance.

At the time of writing, notable gainers included IBM, Microsoft, and ARM Holdings, while chipmakers Intel and Advanced Micro Devices saw declines. Qualcomm's stock price fell sharply by 9%.

**NVIDIA Corp (NVDA)**

NVIDIA's share price surged over 4% following the company's announcement of its entry into the personal computer processor market, in partnership with Microsoft, to challenge Apple and Intel.

**ARM Holdings (ARM)**

ARM's stock price soared by 11%, reflecting strong investor sentiment in the sector.

**Qualcomm Inc (QCOM)**

Qualcomm's shares tumbled 9%, marking a significant downturn amidst the mixed market movements.

**Intel Corp (INTC)**

Intel's stock declined by more than 5%.

**Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD)**

AMD's share price dropped over 4%.

Memory chip stocks generally rose, with Micron Technology gaining nearly 6%.

NVIDIA's major strategic moves include the official launch of its new N1X processor, developed with Microsoft. This chip is slated for use in new Windows laptops and desktops from major brands including Dell, HP, Asus, Lenovo, and MSI, with an expected market release in the autumn of 2026. The company plans to introduce over 30 notebook and 10 desktop models featuring this new processor.

This news also fueled a rally in the A-share AI PC concept sector.

In a separate development, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang announced a collaboration with Chinese robotics startup Unitree Robotics. The partnership aims to launch a new humanoid robot reference design, the H2+ (also known as the Isaac GR00T system), to accelerate innovation in the global humanoid robotics industry. The system, which includes a robot body from Unitree and AI computing platforms from NVIDIA, will be made available to higher education and university researchers.