Artificial intelligence (AI) has probably been the hottest investment theme on the planet over the past year. Companies involved in this high-growth area have seen their share prices climb in the triple digits and have fueled gains in the three major benchmarks -- the S&P 500,

Over the past year, a number of semiconductor stocks have witnessed meteoric gains thanks to ongoing euphoria surrounding artificial intelligence (AI). The share prices of Nvidia, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, and Broadcom have all risen approximately 80% over the last 12 months -- handily outperforming both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite.

Justin Hotard, Intel’s head of data-center and AI operations, is leaving to head up Nokia. Shares of the telecom-gear maker rallied over 2% in Europe; U.S.-listed Intel shares edged higher premarket.

Nokia has hired its first CEO from America in a renewed pivot to AI designed to arrest years of low valuations and stagnant revenue growth. The Finnish telecoms group announced the appointment of Justin Hotard,