Strong AI server demand drives Super Micro Computer, Inc. (SMCI.US) quarterly revenue guidance far above expectations, with shares surging over 12% after hours.

Artificial intelligence (AI) server manufacturer Super Micro Computer, Inc. (SMCI.US) on Tuesday pre-announced preliminary quarterly results that significantly beat Wall Street expectations, indicating that the AI infrastructure investment boom is still driving rapid growth in server demand. Boosted by the news, the company's shares rose more than 12% at one point in after-hours U.S. trading. Super Micro Computer, Inc. said in a statement that revenue for the quarter ended September 30 is expected to be between $18.5 billion and $19.5 billion, well above the analyst average estimate of $15 billion compiled by media. Based on the midpoint of the guidance range of $19 billion, revenue is expected to be about 26.7% above market expectations. At the same time, the company expects gross margin for the quarter to be between 12% and 12.5%. Although Super Micro Computer, Inc. has not yet released full quarterly financial data, the preliminary revenue performance already reflects strong demand in the AI server market. As an important supplier in the AI server field, Super Micro Computer, Inc. benefits from global technology companies' continued expansion of AI data center construction and robust demand for high-performance computing equipment. The company's servers widely incorporate NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA.US) chips, and NVIDIA Corporation GPUs have become the core hardware for training and running artificial intelligence models in the vast majority of current AI data centers. As large technology companies and cloud computing service providers increase investment in computing infrastructure, demand for Super Micro Computer, Inc.'s related products continues to be boosted. However, Super Micro Computer, Inc. has also recently drawn market attention due to a case alleging violations of U.S. export control laws. It is worth noting that Super Micro Computer, Inc. itself has not been charged in the case. Although the incident has brought some uncertainty to the company, the latest preliminary results show that its core business is still strongly supported by growing demand for AI infrastructure. In terms of share price, Super Micro Computer, Inc. closed at $32.47 during regular trading in New York on Tuesday, then rose more than 12% in after-hours trading. As of Tuesday's close, the stock had risen about 11% year to date. Super Micro Computer, Inc. said it will hold an earnings conference call on November 3 to further discuss operating results for the quarter ended September 30. The company did not explain why it chose to disclose preliminary results ahead of its originally scheduled earnings release date.