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Issue 958 of “The Sequence Radar” examines inference software, modular AI factories, and enterprise AI investments side by side: cheaper per-inference does not necessarily mean lower overall industry spending. This article is compiled from the original publication and supplemented with technical scope and delivery terms based on DeepSeek and NVIDIA’s official materials.
From September 22 to October 22, 2026, the A-share AI sector continued to adjust, with the ChiNext Index falling 24.20% and the STAR 50 PE-TTM dropping nearly 60%, from 264 times to above 110 times. Meanwhile, corporate earnings collectively exceeded expectations during the same period—CATL reported a quarterly net profit of RMB 21.2 billion, Yuanjie Technology forecast a nearly sixfold increase, and Lianxun Instruments posted a net profit surge of over 18 times—while equity ETFs saw net inflows of nearly RMB 70 billion. The core driver of this correction was valuation compression, rather than deteriorating fundamentals.
Why it matters：The material explicitly states that the primary drivers of this round of decline are the rising discount rate (affecting the denominator) and weakening overseas regulatory expectations (eroding confidence on the numerator), which together have weighed on valuations—while industry conditions, order visibility, primary-market pricing, and policy‑exemption arrangements have all remained stable. Meanwhile, continued net ETF subscriptions and a spate of announcements from optical‑module companies indicating order backlogs extending through 2027 further confirm that the market is actively stepping in at low valuation levels, with a clear rationale and a fully substantiated chain of evidence.
TechCrunch reported on October 25, 2026, reviewing several AI projects from 2023 to 2026 that failed to meet expectations, including startups and products such as Relay, Character.ai, Sora, and Humane AI Pin, as well as failed attempts or major adjustments by major companies like OpenAI, Apple, and Microsoft.
Why it matters：This report provides an industry‑wide, phenomenon‑driven overview, with broad coverage and a clear timeline (including specific shutdown or delay dates), and cites S&P Global Market Intelligence data to substantiate the high attrition rate—42%—of enterprise‑level AI projects. It combines detailed case studies with structural analysis, making it a highly valuable reference.
AI-powered continuous integration (CI) platform Blacksmith announced a $66 million Series C funding round led by Sequoia Capital, bringing the company’s valuation to $1 billion; within two years of its founding, its valuation has grown by more than 16 times, its ARR has increased 17-fold, and it has executed over 90 million CI jobs.
