SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 22 (Reuters) – Shares of Advanced Micro
Devices Inc <AMD.N> plunged on Friday as investors worried
about both the company’s latest confusing financials statements
and long-term challenges that lay ahead.

On Thursday, AMD’s quarterly earnings beat Wall Street’s
view and it posted better-than-expected revenue on strong
holiday spending and increased server chip business, but
investors were left confused over the company’s complicated
financial statements.[ID:nN2182795]

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Advanced Micro Devices Inc reported better-than-expected revenue on strong holiday spending but its shares slid more than 4 percent as investors cashed in recent gains.

Stellar earnings from bellwether Intel Corp last week reinforced expectations of a rebound in chip demand, which have propelled chipmakers’ stocks higher in past months.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Seagate Technology <STX.O> blasted past expectations on aggressive cost cutting and buoyant demand for servers and personal computers over the holidays, lifting its shares more than 10 percent.

The results and a higher margin outlook underscored hopes that disk drive makers such as Seagate and rival Western Digital <WDC.N> will benefit from a resurgence in corporate technology spending in 2010.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Samsung Electronics Co Ltd <005930.KS> and Rambus Inc <RMBS.O> have ended their legal battles with a settlement worth potentially $900 million that nets Samsung a sizeable stake in the company.

The settlement is expected to apply pressure on Micron Technology Inc <MU.O> and Hynix Semiconductor Inc <000660.KS> — Samsung’s fellow defendants in a Rambus suit accusing them of price fixing — to also settle.

By Ian Sherr

SAN FRANCISCO_ (Reuters) – Stellar results from Intel Corp could signal brighter tech earnings results in coming weeks, but analysts warn stocks themselves may be stuck in a short-term correction.

Intel shares fell more than 3 percent even after analysts from Credit Suisse, Raymond James and JMP Securities, among others, raised their price targets on the stock. JMP Securities and Thinkequity raised their ratings to “outperform” and “buy” respectively.

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 13 (Reuters) – Shares of memory chip
designer Rambus Inc <RMBS.O> fell 8.1 percent on Wednesday on
fears the company’s antitrust trial might be delayed for two
months.

The trial, due to start in January, is pivotal for Rambus,
and could involve up to $12.9 billion in damages. The Los
Altos-based chip designer has accused Samsung Electronics Co
Ltd <005930.KS>, Micron Technology Inc <MU.O> and Hynix
Semiconductor Inc <000660.KS> of colluding to fix prices,
hurting sales of Rambus’ RDRAM memory chips for computers.
[ID:nN04175802]

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 12 (Reuters) – Intel Corp <INTC.O> is
again expected to surpass Wall Street forecasts when it kicks
off tech sector earnings this week, but analysts worry about a
stock sell-off if its 2010 outlook isn’t rosy enough.

Chipmakers, whose products are found in everything from
personal computers and cars to smartphones, are emerging from
the industry’s worst downturn in decades and are expected to
benefit from renewed spending on technology by corporations in
2010.

SAN FRANCISCO/LAS VEGAS, Jan 7 (Reuters) – Intel Corp
<INTC.O> released a flurry of new computer chips on Thursday as
it seeks to maintain its dominance over rival Advanced Micro
Devices Inc <AMD.N> and prepare for an expected rise in
demand.

The new microprocessors, designed to power desktop and
laptop PCs, are the first of a new generation of chips
featuring smaller transistors that Intel said will juice
performance and improve energy efficiency.