AMD stock faces its next big test in 2026

Core Insights - Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) has significantly improved its market position, with stock rising 78% year-to-date as it transitions from being seen as "the alternative" to a key player in the AI sector [1] - The focus has shifted from Nvidia's dominance to AMD's potential market share capture in the AI chip space [2] - AMD enters 2026 with strong momentum, long-term customers, and a growing AI revenue base, but faces the challenge of meeting high expectations set by its stock price [3] Major Partnerships and Deals - AMD secured major AI partnerships in 2025, including a multiyear deal with OpenAI to deploy 6 gigawatts of AMD Instinct GPUs, with the first gigawatt expected in the second half of 2026 [5][6] - Oracle expanded its partnership with AMD, planning to create a publicly available AI supercluster featuring 50,000 MI450 GPUs starting in Q3 2026 [6] - AMD also entered a $1 billion partnership with the Department of Energy and Oak Ridge National Laboratory to build supercomputers, alongside a $3 billion agreement with Sanmina for manufacturing [6] Financial Performance - AMD's earnings have shown significant growth, with Q3 2025 revenue reaching $9.25 billion, up 35.59% year-over-year, and beating expectations by $487.48 million [9] - In Q2 2025, revenue was $7.69 billion, up 31.71% year-over-year, also beating expectations [9] - Q1 2025 saw revenue of $7.44 billion, up 35.90% year-over-year, exceeding expectations by $318.31 million [9] - The financial performance indicates a strong bull case for AMD's AI initiatives [8]