Is the artificial intelligence (AI) gold rush coming to an end, or is this simply a reality check?
That's the question which is hanging over investors, and which has prompted steep falls on the world's stock markets.
The sell-off in the US on Thursday was most dramatic on the Nasdaq, home to tech industry titans such as Alphabet, Nvidia, Meta and Apple.
It followed sweeping gains by the Democrats in this week's mid-term elections in the US, which have given the party full control of Congress.
A number of leading Democrats campaigned against the unhindered expansion of data centres, which have underpinned the growth of artificial intelligence.