Analytics

World Press Review

Bugun, 09:47
19

Based on reports by Reuters and the Financial Times, information has been prepared on major orders for Nvidia chips by Chinese technology companies, growing demand for computing capacity for artificial intelligence, as well as the financial performance and profit growth prospects of the world's leading oil and gas companies.

Chinese Technology Companies Place $35 Billion in Nvidia Chip Orders (Reuters)

Chinese technology companies ByteDance, Alibaba, and Tencent have placed orders for more than 3 million Nvidia RTX PRO 5500 professional graphics processing units (GPUs), worth a total of over $35 billion. Each GPU is estimated to cost approximately $11,400.

The RTX PRO 5500 GPUs offer lower computing performance than Nvidia's advanced processors designed for artificial intelligence (AI). Nevertheless, they comply with U.S. export restrictions and can therefore be supplied to China.

Total orders from Chinese buyers have exceeded 6 million units. Nvidia has warned of potential supply constraints due to strong demand, reflecting a shortage of computing capacity for AI development in China.

In 2027, Nvidia may produce no more than 3 million of these GPUs for the global market. Initial commercial deliveries are expected to begin in the first quarter of 2027.

Major Oil Companies Expect Significant Profit Growth in the Third Quarter (Financial Times)

According to estimates by the UK-based financial data and analytics group LSEG, BP's net profit is expected to increase by 155% year-on-year in the third quarter of 2026. Shell forecasts a record refining margin of $42 per barrel, while TotalEnergies expects cash flow from refining and petrochemical operations to double to $4 billion. ExxonMobil estimates that earnings from refining and petroleum product sales could increase by $4.5 billion compared with the previous quarter.

Overall, BP, Shell, and TotalEnergies expect refining margins to increase three- to fourfold compared with the corresponding period of the previous year. The improvement in financial performance is attributed to rising global energy prices and supply disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz.

According to the Financial Times, the combined profits of five major oil and gas companies — ExxonMobil, Shell, Chevron, TotalEnergies, and BP — exceeded $75 billion in the first half of 2026, representing a 75% increase compared with $43 billion in the corresponding period of 2025.

The companies' free cash flow nearly doubled. Since the beginning of the conflict with Iran, European natural gas prices have risen by 155%, while diesel prices have doubled.