KUALA LUMPUR, July 29 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia rebounded to close higher on Wednesday on selective buying of defensive stocks after a volatile trading session. IPPFA Sdn Bhd director of investment strategy and country economist Mohd Sedek Jantan said consumer products and services stocks lifted the key index higher, overcoming lingering geopolitical concerns. At 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) rose 3.08 points to 1,715.56 from yesterday’s close of 1,712.48. The benchmark index, which opened 1.91 points higher at 1,714.39, moved between 1,710.79 and 1,720.59 during the day’s trading. In the broader market, gainers outstripped decliners 550 to 476, while 612 counters were unchanged, 1,129 untraded, and 48 suspended. Turnover rose to 2.96 billion units valued at RM2.48 billion from 2.94 billion units valued at RM2.56 billion on Tuesday.
Key Takeaway: Broadcom’s surprise $10B AI chip order — likely from OpenAI — has reignited the “ASIC vs GPU” debate. While Nvidia faces pressure on market share, Taiwan Semiconductor looks set to win no matter which side dominates, and storage plays like Seagate are quietly becoming star performers. Broadcom’s Big Win Broadcom stock surged nearly 10% after earnings, powered by news that one of its custom AI chip projects has converted into a major qualified customer — widely believed to be OpenAI. This deal is expected to add $10B in revenue from FY26, with demand stretching into FY27. The ASIC vs GPU Equation Nvidia’s GPUs deliver ~75–80% gross margins, but they’re costly. According to TD Cowen, custom ASICs can yield higher returns: Nvidia GPU: ~24% IRR ASIC at 70% Nvidia performance: ~35% IRR ASIC at 55% performance: breakeven ~24% IRR This explains why hyperscalers like OpenAI, Meta, and others are exploring ASICs. However, the risk lies in scalability: custom chips must keep ...