Broadcom stock plunges 10% despite crushing earnings as AI chips drive revenue to $18B

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Broadcom delivered stellar fourth-quarter earnings with revenue jumping 28% to $18.02 billion, powered by a 74% surge in AI chip sales. Yet the stock tumbled over 10% as the company warned that rising AI-related revenue would compress margins. The selloff reflects mounting investor concerns about AI profitability despite explosive growth.

Broadcom Reports Strong Fourth-Quarter Earnings Amid AI Boom

Broadcom delivered a crushing beat in its fourth-quarter earnings report, with revenue surging 28% year-over-year to $18.02 billion, well ahead of Wall Street's $17.49 billion forecast

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. The chipmaker reported adjusted earnings of $1.95 per share, easily surpassing the analyst consensus estimate of $1.86

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. Net income nearly doubled, rising 97% to $8.51 billion from $4.32 billion one year earlier

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. The company's semiconductor solutions business unit generated $11.07 billion in revenue during the quarter, up 22% from a year earlier

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Source: Benzinga

Source: Benzinga

AI Chips Sales Drive 74% Growth Despite Margin Pressure

CEO Hock Tan revealed that AI chip sales exploded 74%, adding approximately $8.2 billion in revenue during the quarter

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. For the current quarter, Broadcom anticipates AI-related revenue will reach $8.2 billion, effectively doubling year-over-year totals

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. However, CFO Kirsten Spears warned that gross margin would contract 100 basis points quarter-over-quarter, "primarily reflecting a higher mix of AI revenue"

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. This profitability concern triggered immediate investor concerns, sending Broadcom stock down more than 10% in intraday trading despite the strong performance

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Source: SiliconANGLE

Source: SiliconANGLE

Custom AI Accelerators Redefine Broadcom's Business Model

Broadcom has emerged as a dominant force in custom AI chips, designing application-specific integrated circuits that offer alternatives to Nvidia's general-purpose GPUs

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. The company now works with five customers on custom AI accelerators, including Google's tensor processing units, OpenAI, and newly revealed client Anthropic

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. Tan disclosed that Anthropic ordered $10 billion worth of Google TPUs and is among the first to deploy Google's latest Ironwood TPU

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. The unnamed fifth customer placed a $1 billion order expected for delivery by late 2026

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. Custom AI accelerators have officially overtaken traditional networking as Broadcom's top revenue line, marking a fundamental shift in the company's 50-year business model

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Source: ET

Source: ET

Massive $73 Billion Backlog Signals Long-Term AI Infrastructure Demand

Broadcom currently holds a staggering $73 billion backlog of orders for custom AI chips and data center components, including networking technology, which Tan expects to convert into revenue within 18 months

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. Futurum analyst Daniel Newman projects the entire AI compute market, encompassing custom silicon and Nvidia GPUs, will grow by approximately $1 trillion annually over the next few years

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. Custom AI chips should capture between 25% and 30% of this market, with Broadcom likely selling 70% to 80% of all custom silicon due to limited competition

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. The company raised its annual dividend by 10% to $2.60 per share and guided for first-quarter revenue of $19.1 billion, representing 28% year-over-year growth and exceeding the $18.27 billion consensus

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Investor Scrutiny Intensifies Amid AI Profitability Questions

The market reaction reflects heightened scrutiny of AI investments across Silicon Valley. Nvidia experienced similar stock pressure despite beating estimates last month, while Oracle's shares slumped after reporting heavy AI spending

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. Bank of America and Deutsche Bank analysts acknowledged margin concerns as fair but raised their earnings estimates for 2026 and 2027, believing faster revenue growth will offset narrowing profitability

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. Broadcom stock had surged 75% year-to-date heading into the earnings report, setting an exceptionally high bar for results

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. Morningstar analysts downplayed the selloff, arguing that next-generation AI accelerators enhance operating margins through premium pricing despite near-term gross margin dilution

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. With partnerships spanning Google, OpenAI, and Meta Platforms, Broadcom has positioned itself as the custom silicon tailor for AI infrastructure, fundamentally rewiring its growth trajectory beyond traditional networking equipment

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