Semiconductor shares extended a monthlong decline even after Seagate, Teradyne, KLA, NXP and Amphenol posted strong results, with South Korea’s memory-chip leaders still down more than 40% from June highs.
Vendor financing is driving the skepticism: chip and infrastructure suppliers are increasingly offering financing, equity stakes or long-term commitments to customers who then use that support to buy more equipment.
KLA lifted its 2026 wafer-fab equipment spending outlook to the low $150 billions from about $140 billion, while Seagate said data-center drive revenue jumped more than 50% and capacity planning now stretches to 2029.
Margin pressure is also surfacing beneath the revenue strength, with Skyworks, Qorvo and NXP flagging higher input costs even as sales beat expectations.
The concern reaches beyond equities because AI infrastructure spending has become a broader engine for U.S. capex, jobs and power demand, leaving the economy exposed if industry-backed financing tightens.