Super Micro Computer said preliminary first-quarter results for fiscal 2027, covering July through September 2026, will come in far above earlier projections as demand for artificial intelligence data centers climbs. Anthropic also signaled AI infrastructure spending of as much as $750 billion, above its previous outlook.
In a preliminary earnings disclosure on the 20th, Supermicro said first-quarter revenue would range from $18.5 billion to $19.5 billion (about 24.51 trillion to 25.84 trillion won). That is up to $5 billion higher than its earlier estimate of $14.5 billion to $15.5 billion. According to The Wall Street Journal, the figure also far exceeds the $14.95 billion consensus estimate compiled by FactSet. At the midpoint of the range, $19 billion, revenue would be roughly 3.8 times the $5.02 billion reported a year earlier.
Supermicro attributed the strength to rising demand for AI platforms. Its servers are built with Nvidia graphics processing units, and the results indicate that physical demand for AI servers is holding up better than expected. Gross margin also beat expectations. The company now projects a first-quarter gross margin of 12.0% to 12.5%, above its earlier forecast of 10.4% to 10.8%. It cited differences in customer and product mix for the improvement.
The results sent Supermicro shares sharply higher. According to the Journal, the stock rose 13% in after-hours trading to $36.63 and was up 11% for the year based on the day's closing price. Shares of rivals Dell Technologies and Hewlett Packard Enterprise each gained more than 5% after hours. Nvidia fell 0.3% in the regular session but rebounded 2.1% in after-hours trading. Supermicro's final first-quarter results are due on the 3rd of next month.
Soaring demand for AI infrastructure is also evident in the books of Anthropic, which is preparing an initial public offering. According to an S-1 registration statement obtained by the Journal, Anthropic posted revenue of $16.3 billion (21.587 trillion won) in the first half of this year, a jump of more than 1,300% from $1.1 billion a year earlier, while recording a net loss of $80.7 billion (106.846 trillion won). The loss stemmed from convertible bonds and other instruments the company issued to raise funds, which are carried as liabilities on its books. As the valuation of the privately held company rose, the fair value of those liabilities rose with it, meaning no cash left the company.
Even so, the financial burden of securing computing capacity remains. Anthropic spent $9 billion in the first half of this year alone on computing capacity and infrastructure, and contracts it is obligated to pay for computing over as long as the next decade total $450 billion. Including additional negotiations now under way, that spending could swell to as much as $750 billion (992.775 trillion won).