a16z: The semiconductor market may double by 2030, with AI investments continuing to dominate venture capital

ME News message: On April 11 (UTC+8), according to a chart analysis recently released by a16z, the semiconductor market size may double by 2030. The article also analyzes venture capital data for the first quarter of 2026: about 6,000 startups worldwide received $300 billion in investment, with both quarter-over-quarter and year-over-year growth rates exceeding 150%. Of these, OpenAI, Anthropic, xAI, and Waymo together raised $188 billion, accounting for about 65% of the total. Even after excluding these large deals, total funding for the quarter still reached approximately $112 billion. About 80% of the funds flowed to AI companies, up from 55% a year earlier. Early-stage funding increased by 41% year-over-year, seed round funding grew by 31%, but the number of seed deals decreased by 30% year-over-year. Companies that received billion-dollar-level funding during this cycle also include areas such as chips (Cerebras, Rapidus), robotics (Skild AI), autonomous driving systems (Wayve), and defense platforms (Shield AI), highlighting that the current AI cycle includes a physical layer. The article concludes by citing research from Goldman Sachs, noting that labor productivity in the U.S. construction industry has been nearly stagnant since 1950, and analyzing possible reasons, including stagnation in technology adoption and strengthened land-use regulation. (Source: InFoQ)