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Broadcom Shares Surge on Strong AI Chip Demand and Positive Forecast

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Broadcom’s shares surged in after-hours trading on Thursday, jumping 14% following a solid second-quarter forecast that alleviated investor concerns over AI chip demand. The surge came after the company reported better-than-expected revenue and a strong outlook, especially in its AI semiconductor segment. The upbeat forecast contrasts with Marvell Technology’s disappointing outlook earlier in the week, which had spooked the market.

Broadcom expects revenue of approximately $14.90 billion for the second quarter, surpassing analyst estimates of $14.76 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG. CEO Hock Tan reassured investors that demand for its custom AI chips is robust, particularly from cloud computing companies seeking alternatives to Nvidia’s expensive processors. Broadcom anticipates second-quarter revenue from its AI semiconductors to reach $4.4 billion, driven by significant investments from hyperscale customers for data center expansion.

Broadcom is increasingly benefiting from the trend of large tech companies moving away from off-the-shelf chips toward custom-made processors to meet the growing complexity of AI tasks. CEO Tan revealed that the company now has four additional hyperscale customers working closely with it to develop custom chips, joining the three existing customers using its AI processors. This growing customer base has contributed to Broadcom’s estimated revenue potential of $60 billion to $90 billion by 2027.

Notably, Broadcom is working with OpenAI to finalize the first custom chip design to reduce its reliance on Nvidia. Analysts like Anshel Sag from Moor Insights & Strategy have noted that Broadcom is positioning itself as a key player for hyperscalers and other companies wanting to control their AI designs and costs by developing their own custom AI accelerators.

In terms of manufacturing, Broadcom is exploring Intel’s most advanced process, 18A, through test wafers. Summit Insights analyst Kinngai Chan highlighted that Broadcom is better positioned than many of its peers due to its diversified exposure to the AI market, with multiple AI-specific customers for its chips.

In its first-quarter earnings report, Broadcom posted revenue of $14.92 billion, surpassing analysts’ expectations of $14.61 billion. The company’s AI revenue saw a remarkable 77% increase, reaching $4.1 billion, driven by the growing adoption of its custom accelerators. Broadcom’s infrastructure software segment also experienced strong growth, with revenue rising by over 47% to $6.70 billion, beating the $6.49 billion anticipated by analysts.

Marvell Technology Forecasts In-Line Q1 Revenue, Shares Drop 15%

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Marvell Technology (MRVL.O) predicted first-quarter revenue in line with Wall Street’s expectations, but its shares fell sharply by 15% in after-hours trading. Investors were underwhelmed by the forecast, as they had hoped for more substantial growth driven by the surging demand for artificial intelligence (AI) chips.

The AI chip market has seen booming demand, particularly for sector-leader Nvidia’s (NVDA.O) AI processors. Major tech companies like Microsoft (MSFT.O), Meta Platforms (META.O), and Amazon.com (AMZN.O) have been working to reduce their reliance on Nvidia by developing their own AI chips, a trend that has benefited companies like Marvell and Broadcom (AVGO.O).

“The earnings print was generally OK, but I believe investors were expecting more given all the bullish data points in the overall AI space and the ramp of custom ASICs (AI chips) with certain hyperscalers,” said Tore Svanberg, an analyst at Stifel Nicolaus and Co.

Marvell’s data center segment performed well, with revenue up 78% year-over-year to $1.37 billion in the fourth quarter, driven by increased demand for custom AI chips as businesses work to optimize their AI workloads. In December, the company also signed a five-year chip deal with Amazon that includes custom AI chips.

“We’re engaged, we expect revenue to grow, but obviously, it’s like anything, you’ve got to show you can do it, and you’ve got to show it consistently,” Marvell COO Chris Koopmans said, emphasizing the “sticky” nature of the Amazon deal.

Marvell has pledged to focus its investments on data centers, seeing them as the best way to capitalize on the AI boom. Data center revenues accounted for 75% of its total revenue in the most recent quarter. However, Koopmans added that Marvell had not yet experienced any impact from tariffs affecting its data center business.

Despite posting solid results, Marvell’s shares dropped to $77.65 in after-hours trading, following a year-to-date increase of over 83%. In contrast, its larger competitor Broadcom saw a stock jump of around 107%. Analysts pointed to concerns over geopolitical pressures, AI monetization, and the magnitude of Marvell’s earnings beat as factors contributing to the decline.

Marvell forecast first-quarter revenue of $1.88 billion, slightly above analysts’ expectations of $1.87 billion.

OpenAI Set to Finalize First Custom Chip Design This Year

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OpenAI is advancing toward its goal of reducing its reliance on Nvidia by finalizing the design of its first in-house artificial intelligence (AI) chip, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. The company plans to send its first custom-designed chip for fabrication at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) in the coming months, marking a significant step toward mass production, which is expected to begin in 2026.

The process, referred to as “taping out,” involves sending the chip design to a factory for production. While the initial tape-out can cost tens of millions of dollars and take six months for completion, there’s no guarantee the first version of the chip will be successful. If issues arise, OpenAI would need to diagnose and repeat the tape-out process, which can delay production further.

OpenAI views this chip development as a strategic move to enhance its negotiating position with other chip suppliers. The company’s engineers plan to build upon this initial design, creating increasingly advanced processors with broader capabilities for future iterations. If the first tape-out is successful, OpenAI aims to test its custom AI chip as a potential alternative to Nvidia’s chips later this year.

OpenAI’s in-house team, led by Richard Ho, who joined from Google’s custom AI chip program, is collaborating with Broadcom to design the chip. Despite being a smaller team compared to those at tech giants like Google and Amazon, OpenAI’s chip development is progressing at a remarkable pace, outpacing the years-long efforts of other companies in the space.

Currently, Nvidia dominates the AI chip market with an 80% share, but the increasing costs and reliance on a single supplier have prompted major companies, including OpenAI, to explore alternatives. OpenAI’s custom chip is designed to train and run AI models and will initially be deployed on a limited scale. The chip will be manufactured using TSMC’s advanced 3-nanometer process technology and will feature systolic array architecture, high-bandwidth memory (HBM), and extensive networking capabilities—similar to Nvidia’s chips.

While the first chip is expected to play a limited role within OpenAI’s infrastructure, the company plans to expand its AI chip program in the future. To match the scale of Google or Amazon’s AI chip programs, OpenAI would need to expand its engineering team significantly.