Evening digest: US-Iran deal hopes rise, Corning jumps on Nvidia

The United States and Iran are weighing a fresh proposal to end the war as markets react to shifting geopolitical risks.

Anthropic has partnered with SpaceX to expand computing capacity for its Claude AI platform.

US private-sector hiring rose to 109,000 in April, signaling continued labor market resilience.

Corning shares surged after announcing a major AI-focused optical manufacturing deal with Nvidia.

US, Iran edge toward framework to ease conflict pressures

The United States and Iran are reviewing a new proposal aimed at ending the conflict, as Donald Trump faces mounting economic and political pressure.

Washington has presented a one-page memorandum that would gradually reopen the Strait of Hormuz and lift the US blockade on Iranian ports, though no agreement has been finalized.

Further negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program would follow at a later stage.

The urgency reflects rising domestic concerns, with gasoline prices exceeding $4.50 per gallon and public sentiment turning against the conflict ahead of midterm elections.

Trump reiterated uncertainty around the outcome, stating it was a “perhaps, a big assumption” that Iran would accept the proposal.

He added, “If they don’t agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before.”

Markets responded positively, with stocks rising and oil prices retreating below $100 per barrel as investors assessed the possibility of de-escalation.

Anthropic partners with SpaceX to scale AI compute capacity

Anthropic has entered an agreement with SpaceX to access computing resources at its Colossus 1 data center in Memphis.

The company said the partnership would “substantially” increase its compute capacity, enabling higher usage limits for its Claude AI products.

Colossus 1 is equipped with more than 220,000 GPUs from NVIDIA, including H100, H200, and GB200 accelerators, and is designed for large-scale AI workloads.

The agreement is expected to deliver over 300 megawatts of additional capacity within a month.

Anthropic also announced product updates, including doubling Claude Code’s five-hour rate limits and increasing API limits for its Claude Opus models.

The deal underscores intensifying competition in AI infrastructure, as companies race to secure compute resources amid surging demand for generative AI tools.

US private hiring tops forecasts, signals labor resilience

Private-sector hiring in the US exceeded expectations in April, according to data from ADP.

Employers added 109,000 jobs during the month, up from a revised 61,000 in March and above estimates of 84,000.

Wage growth for job stayers rose 4.4% annually.

Hiring gains were concentrated in education and health services, which added 61,000 jobs, followed by trade, transportation, and utilities with 25,000.

The data supports expectations that the Federal Reserve will maintain its current policy stance, as steady hiring reduces pressure for immediate rate cuts.

Corning rallies on Nvidia partnership to boost AI optics

Corning shares surged about 12% in trading after announcing a multiyear partnership with NVIDIA.

The collaboration will focus on expanding optical manufacturing capacity in the United States, including building three new facilities in North Carolina and Texas.

Corning plans to increase optical connectivity manufacturing capacity tenfold and expand fiber production by more than 50%, supporting rising demand from AI data centers.

“AI is driving the largest infrastructure buildout of our time and a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reinvigorate American manufacturing and supply chains,” said Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.

Corning CEO Wendell Weeks added, “What Nvidia is doing is nothing short of extraordinary, not just for the future of AI, but for the American advanced manufacturing workforce.”