Shares of major semiconductor companies Qualcomm, Nvidia, AMD, and Intel experienced declines of up to 15% following the release of US inflation data that heightened concerns about possible Federal Reserve interest rate increases. Despite a strong 16% surge in April, the Nasdaq-100 index fell 2.3% amid a broader sell-off in technology stocks. Investor sentiment was affected by rising inflation and geopolitical tensions, including the ongoing conflict involving Iran, which may influence the Federal Reserve's monetary policy decisions. These developments have tempered enthusiasm around the artificial intelligence sector rally, impacting chipmakers integral to AI technology. The Nasdaq-100 fell 2.3% amid a tech stock sell-off, despite a 16% April surge.