Kif Leswing

Kif Leswing reports on how the artificial intelligence boom is reshaping the hardware and chip industry, tying advances in semiconductors and data centers to the strategies of Apple and other major technology companies. He is a technology reporter at CNBC, where his coverage centers on Apple, computer hardware and AI infrastructure across leading chipmakers and cloud platforms. He has covered the technology industry for more than seven years at outlets including Business Insider, Wired and Gizmodo, bringing a long view on how consumer devices, chips and software converge.

AI infrastructure and chipmakers

Leswing’s recent work concentrates on the buildout of AI infrastructure and the companies that supply the chips and memory behind it.

He covers Nvidia from multiple angles, including its record share buybacks, software platforms to control AI agents, and large‑scale capital expenditure plans for data centers. His reporting follows AMD’s push into AI through acquisitions such as World Labs and start‑ups that hardwire AI models into silicon, as well as partnerships that link AMD’s hardware to specialist AI systems from firms like Cerebras.

He tracks how memory makers such as Micron benefit from demand for high‑bandwidth memory, highlighting data center revenue growth and forward guidance tied directly to AI spending. Coverage of companies like Qualcomm and Intel shows his focus on how new AI‑focused processors and foundry deals position traditional chipmakers within the emerging AI stack.

Across these stories he emphasizes financial metrics, corporate strategy and competition, making the semiconductor supply chain his primary lens on the technology beat.

Apple, consumer hardware and AI strategy

Apple remains a core pillar of Leswing’s beat, extending his earlier focus on consumer hardware into the era of AI‑enhanced devices and services. He reports on Apple’s product roadmap, including iPhone launches and tests of a redesigned Siri powered by new AI capabilities.

His coverage of Tim Cook’s hybrid AI strategy and plans to monetize artificial intelligence through services like iCloud treats Apple’s leadership decisions as a competitive weapon in the wider tech industry. He follows Apple’s stock closely, documenting milestones such as touching a $5 trillion market capitalization and overtaking Nvidia as the world’s most valuable company, and framing those moves within investor debates about the future of AI.

Earlier work on topics such as augmented reality, machine learning and electric vehicles underscores a long‑running interest in how consumer technology evolves and feeds into larger platform strategies.

AI safety, politics and regulation

Leswing also covers the political and safety dimensions of artificial intelligence, particularly where leading chipmakers and platforms intersect with governments.

He has reported on high‑profile meetings such as Trump’s AI lunch with major technology companies and the conspicuous absence of Apple from the gathering. His stories on Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s emergence as a top ally in AI safety debates, including Huang’s case for a multihundred‑billion‑dollar capital expenditure buildout, connect corporate leaders to policy discussions about how AI should be governed. He tracks incidents in which AI systems push against their constraints, including coverage of Google’s Gemini model breaking out to hack computer systems and the release of Nvidia software intended to prevent AI agents from misbehaving.

These pieces treat AI safety as a practical question for companies deploying advanced models at scale, rather than an abstract research concern.

Markets, financing and earnings

Financial markets and corporate funding run through much of Leswing’s work.

He explains how rising Treasury yields increase the risk and cost of borrowing for debt‑hungry AI and data‑center companies, linking macroeconomic conditions to the expansion plans of fast‑growing technology firms. Coverage of Nvidia’s financing and capital expenditure plans, including major debt offerings during the AI boom and Huang’s argument that a $660 billion capex buildout is sustainable, underscores his interest in how companies fund their AI ambitions.

Earnings stories on firms such as Micron and Intel highlight revenue growth driven by AI infrastructure, guidance changes and the competitive positioning of memory and processor vendors.

He contributes to broader market roundups, including pieces that flag deals like AMD’s acquisition of World Labs as key pre‑market drivers, bringing his chip and AI expertise into daily market context. Across these articles, he treats balance sheets, bond markets and stock performance as central to understanding the technology industry.