THE AI CONNECTIVITY WARS — WHY MOVING DATA COULD BECOME MORE VALUABLE THAN COMPUTING IT AI needs more than powerful processors. It needs networks capable of moving enormous amounts of data between them. But can better connectivity improve the economics of infrastructure already installed? In this episode, Zoe and Nash take the question of AI returns from our previous episode into the networking layer. The thesis remains unchanged: spending on infrastructure creates economic value only when productive output justifies its total cost. We cover scale-up, scale-out, copper versus fiber, SerDes, silicon photonics, co-packaged optics and optical switching. Higher bandwidth alone is not proof of higher profits: energy, reliability, yield and total cost matter. DEEP DIVE • Broadcom (AVGO): Tomahawk 6 and 102.4 Tb/s switching, custom AI silicon, Q3 FY2026 revenue of $29.6B and $13.7B free cash flow.• NVIDIA (NVDA): NVLink, InfiniBand, Spectrum-X and the trade-off between integrated platforms and interoperability.• Marvell (MRVL): optical DSPs, Celestial AI's Photonic Fabric, Q2 FY2027 revenue of $2.739B and management's ambitious, unguaranteed longer-term targets.• AI financing: a reported proposed $60B package involving Broadcom and Anthropic. Reported financing terms are not the same as drawn debt or a completed transaction. STOCK IDEAS — NOT BUY RECOMMENDATIONS Lumentum (LITE): laser technology, optical modules and manufacturing scale. Q4 FY2026 revenue reached approximately $1.01B. We examine margins, capital requirements, dilution and a major non-cash accounting charge. Credo Technology (CRDO): active electrical cables, high-speed connectivity silicon and the acquisition of DustPhotonics. Q1 FY2027 revenue reached $479M. We compare growth, research spending, customer concentration and acquisition risk. STARTUP CORNER Ayar Labs: optical I/O and $650M in primary funding raised during 2026. Salience Labs: integrated 32-port optical circuit switching and its manufacturing partnership with Tower Semiconductor. Upscale AI: Token Fabric, announced October 8, targeting networking across accelerator ecosystems. The test: useful AI output per dollar invested. SOURCES (publication dates; primary sources unless noted) Broadcom, Q3 FY2026 financial results, Sep 2, 2026:https://investors.broadcom.com/news-releases/news-release-details/broadcom-inc-announces-third-quarter-fiscal-year-2026-financial Broadcom, Tomahawk 6 volume shipments, Mar 12, 2026:https://investors.broadcom.com/news-releases/news-release-details/broadcom-now-shipping-worlds-first-1024-tbps-switch-production Marvell, Q2 FY2027 results, Aug 27, 2026:https://investor.marvell.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/1031/marvell-technology-inc-reports-second-quarter-of-fiscal-year-2027-financial-results Marvell, Celestial AI acquisition closing, Feb 2, 2026:https://www.marvell.com/company/newsroom/marvell-completes-acquisition-of-celestial-ai.html Lumentum, Q4 FY2026 results, Aug 11, 2026 (SEC):https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1633978/000162828026055726/lite_ex991xq4fy26.htm Credo, Q1 FY2027 results, Sep 1, 2026 (SEC):https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1807794/000162828026059795/credoq12027ex-991.htm Ayar Labs, funding announcement, Sep 10, 2026:https://ayarlabs.com/news/ayar-labs-expands-2026-funding-to-650-million Salience Labs, 32-port switch, Mar 10, 2026; Tower partnership, Feb 25:https://www.saliencelabs.ai/news-resources/ Reuters, Upscale AI Token Fabric and financing context, Oct 8, 2026 (secondary):https://www.reuters.com/business/nvidia-backed-upscale-ai-launches-platform-connect-chips-rival-suppliers-2026-10-08/ For information and entertainment only. Zoe and Nash are AI-generated hosts. Nothing here is financial, investment, legal or tax advice. Company targets and technical roadmaps are not guaranteed results. Verify current data and do your own research. Follow TechOrNothing. See you on Saturday.