PCE Cools, Rate Cut Hopes Rise; Japan's Market Jitters; Apple's Heart-Reading Earbuds?

The latest news reports that the US government is discussing providing Intel with $8.5 billion in financial grants and $11 billion in loans. It is said that the White House may finalize this funding plan before the end of the year, with negotiations already in the later stages. Any acquisition of all or part of Intel's business could disrupt these delicate negotiations. A source familiar with Intel also pointed out that, due to the proximity to the US elections, the White House may be eager to implement this project, and it would not be surprised if the subsidies were determined before the November elections. This would be the largest single subsidy granted by the US Chips Act, with the US government hoping to support local US chip companies through a series of financial aids and attract overseas investors at the same time. This act is also one of the Biden administration's most proud political achievements. If Intel can successfully obtain the funding, it may have the opportunity to make another attempt in the chip foundry business, and Intel itself still has high hopes for its continuously loss-making chip foundry business. Earlier this month, Intel announced that its most advanced 18A chip manufacturing plant has attracted a major customer, Amazon. Last week, Intel once again increased its bets by releasing two AI chips, which, although somewhat weaker in performance than Nvidia's H100, have a significant cost advantage.

Last week, rumors about Qualcomm acquiring Nvidia gradually subsided. The current news is that it is more likely that the US government will lead a massive blood transfusion to Intel, that is, an $8.5 billion chip grant, and as the presidential election approaches, this decision may be reached soon. Qualcomm's business is of no help to Nvidia's predicament, and coupled with the US's long-standing advocacy of antitrust, this makes the previously rumored acquisition difficult. Instead, the government's leading assistance shows its emphasis on the chip and artificial intelligence industries. At the same time, for Intel, this may also allow it to take a bold gamble in the chip foundry business and get through the predicament.

Apple will use earphones to detect heart rate and heart disease risks?

Combining various leaks and official documents, Apple will equip the AirPods Pro 3, which may debut next fall, with sensors for detecting heart health, and the next generation of Powerbeats Pro is also expected to receive the same upgrade. It is not uncommon for wearable devices to measure heart rate, but identifying "heart pathology" through microphones in the ear canal is indeed a very novel thing. According to Patently Apple, which specializes in reporting on Apple's patent applications, the US Patent and Trademark Office officially released Apple's patent application for "Systems and Methods for Detecting Heart Pathology" last week, and the illustrations clearly show using AirPods and AirPods Max to detect heart problems. The patent application states that a device containing a microphone can be inserted into the user's ear or worn on the ear. The signal generated by the microphone can be processed to determine the user's heart activity, and by applying predictive algorithms, indications of heart pathology can be detected. At the same time, the patent application also mentions that in addition to acoustic sensors, this feature can also call on electrodes or PPG sensors, which means there is a usage of AirPods and Apple Watch联动 to detect heart problems. In Apple's definition, heart pathology includes a range of diseases, including vascular diseases (coronary artery disease), rhythm problems (arrhythmias), heart defects (congenital heart disease), heart valve diseases, myocardial diseases, heart infections, etc. By applying filters, infrasound and ultrasound signals in heart activity can be sensed, which can be processed into signals of heartbeats or other movements (blood flow), providing a range of heart-related information. In practical applications, the simplest detection results include bradycardia and tachycardia, and through the above processing, more complex detections can also be achieved.

News reports that Apple is preparing to equip the next generation of TWS earphones with health sensors capable of measuring heart rate, providing a new idea for wearable devices, that is, the future of wearable devices will extend from entertainment to general health, while increasing convenience. The device can predict whether the user is suffering from a disease in advance and issue an early warning. In the past, this kind of detection had to be completed in the hospital, and the limitation was that it might not be able to collect patient information for a long time. If the earphone heart rate measurement can be realized, it is believed that the wearableization of professional medical detection and further convenience will be a strong trend.