Silicon Shakeups & More: Allyson Klein's 2025 Predictions Scorecard
As part of our 2025 predictions report in January, TechArena Principal Allyson Klein predicted we’d see our first major gen AI scandal this year – and just as we’re checking in on those predictions mid-year, it seems Allyson’s crystal ball served up some winners.
We sat down with Allyson to discuss how her predictions have played out.
1. Looking back at your prediction about the world’s first major gen AI scandal, what examples have we seen so far in 2025? Were they at the scale you anticipated, or have we yet to see the truly brand-damaging incident you forecasted?
Allyson: I haven’t seen the breakout yet from the corporate world that I’ve predicted, but we are only halfway through the year. The most notable scandal that comes to mind is Elon Musk’s Grok platform spewing pro-Nazi propaganda, including love for Hitler. That was not on my dance card for this year, but likely should have been, given the broader macro environment.
*Shortly after we posted this update on 2025 predictions, the year’s most notable gen AI scandal grew in scope. Linda Yaccarino announced on July 9 that she is stepping down from her role as CEO of X, just 24 hours after Grok began creating antisemitic comments praising Adolf Hitler.
2. You predicted significant silicon landscape disruption. How has the semiconductor consolidation actually played out? Are we seeing the cloud player acquisitions you expected, or has the shakeup taken a different form?
Allyson: We're seeing massive disruption in the silicon market as companies race to capture the AI accelerator TAM. AMD snapped up silicon startup Enosemi, (as well as data center infrastructure provider ZT Systems, AI software optimization startup Brium, and the engineering employees of AI inference chip developer Untether AI). Qualcomm is expanding into data center infrastructure with its acquisition of Alphawave Semi. This trend will only accelerate as pressure mounts to reduce reliance on NVIDIA GPUs.
3. Supply chain and tariff impacts were a major concern in your predictions. Six months into the new administration, how have you seen companies responding to tariffs? Do we have a sense yet of their impact on data center component sourcing?
Allyson: We’ve all witnessed the market disruptions sparked by tariff negotiations and the ongoing ambiguity surrounding the Trump administration’s unresolved trade agreements. The market appears to be settling into a new normal — one where businesses factor tariff costs into baseline planning and build in buffers to navigate trade uncertainty. If this administration has taught us anything, it’s that this story is far from over. As the dust continues to settle, the computing industry — and its complex international supply chains — will remain front and center.
4. You saw agentic AI becoming a dominant conversation topic this year. How has enterprise adoption of AI agents compared to your expectations? Are we seeing the pilot programs you predicted, and what's been the biggest surprise in how companies are implementing these systems?
Allyson: I didn’t expect to see massive adoption of agentic computing in 2025, but I did expect the zeitgeist to shift — and it has. Within AI circles, agents have become the topic du jour, and terms like vibe coding are quickly becoming part of the common vernacular. We’re already seeing early adoption in sectors like financial services, healthcare diagnostics, and semiconductor design, with a slow, but steady, uptick expected in the second half of the year.
One big question now emerging: How must infrastructure evolve to support agentic memory? Or are we facing a new technical challenge altogether — agent amnesia?
5. Have you seen compelling, narrow use cases emerge for spatial computing in work collaboration, health care, or other fields as you predicted, or have there been any applications that caught you off guard?
Allyson: I was pleasantly surprised by the introduction of spatially aware hearing glasses from Nuance Audio — but frankly, I’m still anticipating major breakthroughs in the wearables market from this space. We recently wrapped an interview with Verizon, whose team is deeply invested in this area. They emphasized the importance of running small models directly on-device to unlock the full potential of next-gen wearables.
6. Are there any major technology developments or industry shifts that have emerged in 2025 that weren’t on your radar at all when you made these predictions?
Allyson: Two announcements really stood out to me. First, Microsoft’s quantum breakthrough — successfully creating a new state of matter involving Majorana fermions. Who saw that coming? Second, DeepMind’s unveiling of AlphaGenome, which we covered on TechArena, and its role in decoding the mysterious "dark matter" of DNA. Both mark major milestones, and I can’t wait to see what comes next.
7. Looking back at your predictions, which one has played out most differently from what you anticipated?
Allyson: I think the slow progress of enterprise adoption has thwarted my enterprise prediction. Look at IT organizations being cautious!
As part of our 2025 predictions report in January, TechArena Principal Allyson Klein predicted we’d see our first major gen AI scandal this year – and just as we’re checking in on those predictions mid-year, it seems Allyson’s crystal ball served up some winners.
We sat down with Allyson to discuss how her predictions have played out.
1. Looking back at your prediction about the world’s first major gen AI scandal, what examples have we seen so far in 2025? Were they at the scale you anticipated, or have we yet to see the truly brand-damaging incident you forecasted?
Allyson: I haven’t seen the breakout yet from the corporate world that I’ve predicted, but we are only halfway through the year. The most notable scandal that comes to mind is Elon Musk’s Grok platform spewing pro-Nazi propaganda, including love for Hitler. That was not on my dance card for this year, but likely should have been, given the broader macro environment.
*Shortly after we posted this update on 2025 predictions, the year’s most notable gen AI scandal grew in scope. Linda Yaccarino announced on July 9 that she is stepping down from her role as CEO of X, just 24 hours after Grok began creating antisemitic comments praising Adolf Hitler.
2. You predicted significant silicon landscape disruption. How has the semiconductor consolidation actually played out? Are we seeing the cloud player acquisitions you expected, or has the shakeup taken a different form?
Allyson: We're seeing massive disruption in the silicon market as companies race to capture the AI accelerator TAM. AMD snapped up silicon startup Enosemi, (as well as data center infrastructure provider ZT Systems, AI software optimization startup Brium, and the engineering employees of AI inference chip developer Untether AI). Qualcomm is expanding into data center infrastructure with its acquisition of Alphawave Semi. This trend will only accelerate as pressure mounts to reduce reliance on NVIDIA GPUs.
3. Supply chain and tariff impacts were a major concern in your predictions. Six months into the new administration, how have you seen companies responding to tariffs? Do we have a sense yet of their impact on data center component sourcing?
Allyson: We’ve all witnessed the market disruptions sparked by tariff negotiations and the ongoing ambiguity surrounding the Trump administration’s unresolved trade agreements. The market appears to be settling into a new normal — one where businesses factor tariff costs into baseline planning and build in buffers to navigate trade uncertainty. If this administration has taught us anything, it’s that this story is far from over. As the dust continues to settle, the computing industry — and its complex international supply chains — will remain front and center.
4. You saw agentic AI becoming a dominant conversation topic this year. How has enterprise adoption of AI agents compared to your expectations? Are we seeing the pilot programs you predicted, and what's been the biggest surprise in how companies are implementing these systems?
Allyson: I didn’t expect to see massive adoption of agentic computing in 2025, but I did expect the zeitgeist to shift — and it has. Within AI circles, agents have become the topic du jour, and terms like vibe coding are quickly becoming part of the common vernacular. We’re already seeing early adoption in sectors like financial services, healthcare diagnostics, and semiconductor design, with a slow, but steady, uptick expected in the second half of the year.
One big question now emerging: How must infrastructure evolve to support agentic memory? Or are we facing a new technical challenge altogether — agent amnesia?
5. Have you seen compelling, narrow use cases emerge for spatial computing in work collaboration, health care, or other fields as you predicted, or have there been any applications that caught you off guard?
Allyson: I was pleasantly surprised by the introduction of spatially aware hearing glasses from Nuance Audio — but frankly, I’m still anticipating major breakthroughs in the wearables market from this space. We recently wrapped an interview with Verizon, whose team is deeply invested in this area. They emphasized the importance of running small models directly on-device to unlock the full potential of next-gen wearables.
6. Are there any major technology developments or industry shifts that have emerged in 2025 that weren’t on your radar at all when you made these predictions?
Allyson: Two announcements really stood out to me. First, Microsoft’s quantum breakthrough — successfully creating a new state of matter involving Majorana fermions. Who saw that coming? Second, DeepMind’s unveiling of AlphaGenome, which we covered on TechArena, and its role in decoding the mysterious "dark matter" of DNA. Both mark major milestones, and I can’t wait to see what comes next.
7. Looking back at your predictions, which one has played out most differently from what you anticipated?
Allyson: I think the slow progress of enterprise adoption has thwarted my enterprise prediction. Look at IT organizations being cautious!
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