TI projects upbeat quarterly results on strong data center chip demand

By Zaheer Kachwala

April 22 (Reuters) – Texas Instruments forecast second-quarter revenue and profit above Wall Street expectations on Wednesday, anticipating a boost in demand for its analog chips ​amid the data center boom, sending its shares ‌up over 10% in extended trading.

Texas Instruments makes analog chips, which perform a range of functions, including regulating power systems and converting signals such as sound, temperature or light into digital data that can be processed ‌by ​other semiconductors.

Tech firms have been spending aggressively ⁠to bolster their AI ⁠ambitions by constructing massive data center projects and buying large quantities of chips to run such infrastructure.

The data center segment grew around 90% from the same period last year, ​TI’s CEO Haviv Ilan said on the post-earnings call.

Demand in industrial and auto end markets has also been recovering ⁠as customers resume placing orders after ⁠clearing out excess inventory they stored during the ​pandemic.

This, along with AI-driven demand, has boosted TI’s shares by over ​35% to near-record highs this year.

TI, being one of ‌the first chip companies to report March quarter earnings, is closely watched as its widespread chip use serves as a demand indicator for various industries.

“We believe industrial is particularly strong with ⁠lean inventories and improving sell-through. Automotive is also likely starting a new up-cycle,” Stifel analyst Tore Svanberg said.

Executives said they expect continued ⁠growth in the ‌automotive market, which increased mid-single digits during ⁠the quarter, after the sector has grappled with ​tariff ‌and cost pressures.

The company expects second-quarter revenue of ​between $5 billion ⁠and $5.40 billion, compared with estimates of $4.86 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG.

It anticipates earnings per share of between $1.77 and $2.05, compared with estimates of $1.57 per share.

Revenue for the first quarter was $4.83 billion, beating estimates of $4.53 billion.

(Reporting by Zaheer Kachwala in Bengaluru; Editing ​by Vijay Kishore)