Chipmaker stocks are climbing in premarket trading as investors continue to allocate capital to the semiconductor sector, anticipating robust long-term growth driven by artificial intelligence.

The VanEck Semiconductor ETF is up 1.7% before the bell, with NVIDIA (NVDA) gaining 1.5%, Broadcom (AVGO) surging 6.6%, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM) rising 0.5%.

Marvell Technology (MRVL) shares soared 25% after NVIDIA's CEO Jensen Huang remarked that Marvell has the potential to become the next trillion-dollar company, a valuation over five times its current market capitalisation.

Microchip Technology (MCHP) advanced 8.1%, buoyed by the company's positive commentary regarding revenue from its data centre business.

ARM Holdings (ARM) saw a 1.1% increase following optimistic revenue-related remarks from its chief executive.

Among other AI-related names, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) jumped 26% after the company issued a financial outlook that significantly exceeded market expectations, citing strong anticipated server demand over the next 18 months.

In contrast, software stocks broadly trended lower as investors grew concerned that the proliferation of AI could disrupt the software industry, potentially pressuring long-term growth prospects.

Notable decliners included Microsoft (MSFT) down 2.3%, Salesforce.com (CRM) falling 2.9%, Adobe (ADBE) declining 1.8%, Oracle (ORCL) dropping 4.1%, Workday (WDAY) decreasing 3.8%, and Palantir Technologies Inc. (PLTR) sliding 3.1%.