Astera Labs, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALAB) is one of the fastest-growing semiconductor stocks to buy. On November 18, 2025, Astera Labs said its Leo CXL® Smart Memory Controllers are enabled in preview on Microsoft Azure M-series VMs. That allowed customers to evaluate CXL memory expansion for their own workloads. The company framed Azure M-series as the industry’s first announced deployment of CXL-attached memory, aimed at tackling the “memory wall” in data-hungry use cases like in-memory databases, AI inference, KV ...

Key Takeaways ALAB has jumped 51.2% in six months, outperforming its sector and key peer Broadcom. Strong demand for Aries, Taurus, and Scorpio products supports ALAB's upbeat Q4 revenue outlook. ALAB expands AI connectivity solutions and partnerships while facing stiff competition and high valuation. Astera Labs (ALAB) shares have surged 51.2% in the past six-month period, outperforming the broader Zacks Computer & Technology sector’s rise of 27.1% and the Zacks Internet - Software industry’s decline of 4. ...

Core Insights - Astera Labs has introduced its Leo CXL Smart Memory Controllers, enabling evaluation of Compute Express Link (CXL) memory expansion capabilities for Azure M-series virtual machines [1][2] - Microsoft’s Azure M-series VMs represent the first deployment of CXL-attached memory, addressing the limitations of traditional server architectures in handling memory-intensive workloads [2][3] - The Leo CXL Smart Memory Controllers support CXL 2.0, allowing up to 2TB of memory capacity per controller, which can enhance server memory capacity by over 1.5 times [3] Company Overview - Astera Labs specializes in semiconductor-based connectivity solutions for rack-scale AI infrastructure, focusing on open standards and collaboration with hyperscalers [6] - The company’s Intelligent Connectivity Platform integrates various semiconductor technologies to create flexible systems that enhance connectivity and scalability [6] Industry Context - The introduction of CXL technology is crucial for overcoming the "memory wall" bottleneck faced by organizations processing large datasets, enabling greater memory capacity and performance [2][3] - The collaboration between Astera Labs and Microsoft highlights the importance of addressing memory capacity constraints in cloud infrastructure through innovative solutions [4]