Dell raises annual profit forecast on strong AI server demand

By Jaspreet Singh

 

(Reuters) - Dell raised its annual profit forecast on Thursday, signaling growing demand for its AI-powered servers that are equipped with Nvidia’s powerful chips.

 

Shares of the company, whose servers are used by customers such as Elon Musk’s AI startup xAI and CoreWeave, rose 2% in extended trading.

 

Dell and Super Micro Computer have benefited from growing demand for such servers, but the high cost of producing them and tough competition have pressured margins.

 

"We generated $12.1 billion in AI orders this quarter alone, surpassing the entirety of shipments in all of fiscal 2025 and leaving us with $14.4 billion in backlog," Dell’s Chief Operating Officer Jeff Clarke said.

 

The results follow the U.S. Department of Energy’s announcement on Thursday that it would launch a new supercomputer, named Doudna, which will use Dell and Nvidia’s advanced technology to perform complex computing tasks.

 

Dell now expects annual adjusted profit to be $9.40 per share, compared with its prior forecast of $9.30 per share. The company also reiterated its annual revenue outlook.

 

It forecast second-quarter revenue to be between $28.5 billion and $29.5 billion, above analysts’ average estimate of $25.05 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG.

 

Dell’s adjusted profit forecast for the second quarter of $2.25 per share was also above estimates of $2.09.

 

The company’s first-quarter revenue of $23.38 billion beat expectations of $23.14 billion, while its adjusted profit of $1.55 per share missed estimates of $1.69.

 

"We note potential near-term margin pressure from competitive pricing, tariffs, and geographic mix shifts," Shreya Gheewala, equity analyst at CFRA Research, said.

 

Revenue from Dell’s infrastructure solutions group, which includes storage, software and server offerings, rose 12%, while revenue from its client solutions group, that houses its PC business, rose 5%.

 

PC refresh cycle is slower than before, but signs show users are moving to Windows 11 PCs, which include AI PCs, Clarke added.

 

(Reporting by Jaspreet Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta)