Broadcom (AVGO) Thrives in Custom AI Explosion

Core Insights - Broadcom is set to report its Q3FY'25 results, with investors keen to understand its growth trajectory following disappointing sales guidance from competitor Marvell in the custom silicon AI market [1] Company Overview - Broadcom is a leading designer and supplier of a wide range of semiconductor, networking, enterprise software, and security solutions, serving critical markets such as cloud, data center, and enterprise software [2] Financial Performance - In FY'24, Broadcom achieved a record $51.6 billion in sales, marking a 44% annual growth, with infrastructure software revenue reaching $21.5 billion due to successful VMware integration [3] - Semiconductor revenue also hit a record $30.1 billion, driven by AI revenue of $12.2 billion, which grew 220% year-on-year [3] Revenue Drivers - The Tomahawk 6 Ethernet switch and Jericho4 Ethernet fabric router are key products driving revenue growth by enabling large-scale AI cluster networking [4] - Broadcom's AI networking segment is the largest contributor to AI-related growth, with networking revenue increasing by 170% year-over-year, accounting for 40% of AI revenue in Q2 2025 [6] Growth Areas in AI - Key areas of growth for Broadcom amid the AI buildout include: - AI networking - Custom AI silicon/accelerators (XPUs) - Ethernet/Open networking - VMware-driven infrastructure software - Hyperscaler/cloud partnerships [5] Custom AI Silicon and Accelerators - Broadcom's custom silicon solutions, including AI accelerators and XPUs, are critical as hyperscalers seek differentiated compute capabilities for AI workloads, with expected demand acceleration into late 2026 [7] Infrastructure Software - The acquisition of VMware has positioned Broadcom's infrastructure software segment as a significant growth pillar, with VMware Cloud Foundation and enterprise adoption being key focus areas [10] Customer Base - Major cloud players like Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon are central customers for Broadcom's networking and infrastructure software, with a focus on expanding content and wallet share within these accounts [11] Q3 Expectations - Broadcom reported record revenues of $15 billion in Q2, with AI revenue growing 46% year-over-year to over $4.4 billion, and expects AI semiconductor revenue to accelerate to $5.1 billion in Q3 [12][14]