The content team at Channel Partners Newsletter tracks stories of interest to the technology advisor and wider channel communities. Anyone selling communication and connectivity solutions will want to stay abreast of these developing stories or catch up on ones they have missed. All links are valid as of Jan. 7.

Big Tech Doubles Down on AI for PCs

AI-capable PCs and the chips that power them took the spotlight at Day 1 of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, as AMD, Intel, Nvidia and HP rolled out their latest product lines. Hardware manufacturers are banking on AI to stoke enterprise demand for high-capacity compute laptops, workstations and devices. Nearly one-third of PCs shipped last year were equipped with AI-optimized NPUs, according to Gartner. The firm expects AI PCs to account for more than half the market this year and become the norm by 2029. Read the Channel Dive story.

Robots on Display at CES

Some tech and manufacturing heavyweights are using this year’s CES show in Las Vegas to make a big noise about the promise of a new wave of AI-powered industrial robotics. These include Nvidia, Qualcomm and Boston Dynamics. Read about it on Telecoms.

Telcos Face Drop in Handset Sales as Memory Prices Soar

Soaring memory chip prices have become the latest casualty of the AI bubble, with some prices up 25% and expected to climb even higher this year. The sharply higher cost of components is obviously trouble for smartphone and laptop makers, but it's a challenge for telcos too; lower demand for cellphones will clip the hardware revenue that many depend on and will also likely dampen 5G uptake. Read the Light Reading story.

Marvell Buys XConn Technologies for $540 Million

Chipmaker Marvell has acquired PCIe and CXL switching silicon provider XConn Technologies for approximately $540 million. This is Marvell’s second acquisition in as many months, following its December pickup of optical interconnect startup Celestial AI for at least $3.25 billion and possibly $5.5 billion depending on whether Celestial achieves certain product milestones. The Marvell-XConn deal is expected to close early this year. Read about it on Data Centre Dynamics.

Cities, Counties Reject Industry Claims on Broadband Permitting

As industry groups made their wish lists for wireline permitting reform known to the FCC, organizations representing local governments filed comments opposing their requests and challenging the FCC's authority to grant them. An FCC docket opened last year highlighted their differences. This Light Reading story looks at some of these comments.

Nvidia, Cisco, VC Firms Help xAI Raise $20 B Series E Funding

Following a year of rapid expansion, xAI closed a $20 billion Series E funding round as the company accelerates investment in large-scale AI infrastructure and product development. The round drew participation from Valor Equity Partners, StepStone Group, Fidelity Management & Research Company, Qatar Investment Authority, MGX, and Baron Capital Group. Strategic investors included NVIDIA and Cisco Investments, underscoring continued alignment between AI model development and next-generation compute and networking platforms. Read the Converge Digest story.

Looking Ahead: Spectrum Sales and Squabbles Coming in 2026

Expect more spectrum drama this year as the FCC preps an upper C-band auction, the EchoStar sale saga continues, and players across cellular, Wi-Fi and satellite all want more. Read the Light Reading story.

PolyAI Relies on Channel Partners to Speed Sales

Channel partners are PolyAI’s secret to scoring a land grab in a fast-growing conversational AI market, as it plans to dedicate part of a recent $86 million funding round to expanding its partner route to market. The company announced its Series D round last month, which Georgian, Hedosophia, and Khosla Ventures led. Nvidia also participated in the round — its second investment in PolyAI. Read the Channel Dive story.