The Economic Times·2026-02-27 03:49Core Insights - The company announced a 20% increase in its cash dividend and an additional $10 billion for its share repurchase program, indicating a strong commitment to returning value to shareholders [1][9] - Major tech firms are projected to invest at least $630 billion in AI infrastructure this year, which is expected to significantly increase demand for server and data center equipment from vendors like Dell [1][9] Company Performance - Dell forecasts annual revenue between $138 billion and $142 billion, surpassing analysts' average estimate of $125.54 billion [5][9] - The company expects annual adjusted earnings per share of $12.90, exceeding estimates of $11.59 [7][9] - In the first quarter, Dell anticipates revenue between $34.7 billion and $35.7 billion, above estimates of $29.13 billion [7][9] - Dell reported record revenue of $33.4 billion in the fourth quarter, beating estimates of $31.73 billion, with an adjusted EPS of $3.89 also exceeding the $3.53 estimate [7][9] Market Dynamics - The memory chip shortage is expected to dampen global demand for consumer electronics, including PCs, smartphones, and gaming consoles [5][9] - Companies like Dell and HP Inc. have implemented price increases to offset rising memory chip costs due to the AI infrastructure buildout [2][10] - Dell's revenue from its infrastructure solutions group, which includes storage, software, and server offerings, surged 73% to $19.60 billion, while sales from the client solutions group rose 14% to $13.49 billion [8][9] Customer Base and Growth - Dell has more than 4,000 AI server customers, including notable clients such as Elon Musk's AI startup xAI and CoreWeave [4][9] - The company expects AI server revenue to grow by 103% to approximately $50 billion in fiscal 2027 [3][9]