Super Micro jumps as AI server orders top $60 billion

Super Micro Computer shares surged in extended trading Tuesday after the server maker said new orders topped $60 billion in its fiscal fourth quarter and margins should be far better than it previously told investors. For retail investors tracking the artificial intelligence buildout, the update is a fresh signal that demand for AI infrastructure remains strong, even as revenue is landing near the low end of guidance.

The company said in a preliminary business update that it now expects gross margin and adjusted gross margin for the June quarter to be between 15% and 17%. Gross margin is the share of revenue left after a company pays the direct costs of making and delivering its products, so a higher number usually means each dollar of sales is more profitable before other expenses.

That revised range is a sharp increase from the 8.2% to 8.4% margin outlook management gave in May. Super Micro said the improvement came “primarily due to a favorable customer and product mix.”

Orders are the headline

Super Micro said its backlog reached record levels at the end of fiscal 2026, which ended June 30. Backlog means customer orders the company has received but has not yet delivered or recognized as revenue.

The company said it booked more than $60 billion of new orders in the fiscal fourth quarter. Super Micro said those orders are expected to be delivered over future quarters, meaning the figure does not translate into immediate sales but gives investors a look at demand already lined up.

The revenue update was more measured. Super Micro said it expects June-quarter revenue to come in at the low end of its previous guidance range of $11.0 billion to $12.5 billion. Analysts surveyed by LSEG had expected $11.67 billion, according to CNBC.

Shares of Super Micro were up about 15% after hours, according to CNBC market data. The move followed the company’s margin revision and order disclosure, which gave investors more detail on profitability and demand ahead of full quarterly results.

AI servers remain the center of the story

Super Micro sells servers used in data centers, including systems built around Nvidia graphics processing units. Those chips, known as GPUs, are widely used to train and run AI models because they can handle many calculations at once.

Demand for AI servers has also helped competitors Dell Technologies and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, CNBC reported. Dell shares rose 5% in extended trading Tuesday, while HPE gained 4%.

Super Micro Chief Executive Charles Liang added another data point in June when he wrote on X that the company was “proud to co-build another new Gigawatt AI datacenter for @SpaceX and @XAI within a year.” SpaceX and xAI are both tied to Elon Musk.

The company has not yet reported full results for the quarter. Super Micro said it expects to hold its earnings call on Aug. 11, when investors will get more detail on revenue, margins, backlog and the timing of deliveries from the newly disclosed orders.

This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.