Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Revenue for Q2 2026 was $62.7 million, down from $64.3 million in Q1 2026 and $71.8 million in Q2 2025 [15] - GAAP gross margin improved to 37.6% from 35.3% in the prior quarter but decreased from 42.7% in the same quarter last year [16] - GAAP operating expenses decreased to $31.7 million from $35.3 million in the previous quarter and $36.2 million year-over-year [16] - GAAP net loss increased to $46.5 million, or $3.49 per share, compared to a loss of $17.2 million in Q1 2026 and $12.2 million in Q2 2025 [17] - Non-GAAP loss for Q2 2026 was $7.1 million, or $0.54 per share, an improvement from a loss of $14.5 million in Q1 2026 and $7.4 million in Q2 2025 [18] - Positive adjusted EBITDA of $0.5 million compared to a negative $6.5 million in Q1 2026 [19] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company achieved a record backlog of over $25 million, significantly above the historical target range of $8 million to $10 million [16][9] - The Americas business outperformed other regions, reflecting improved coordination between inside and field sales teams [9] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - APAC revenue more than doubled quarter-over-quarter following a shift to a new distribution model [8] - EMEA region continued to perform well, indicating strong execution across global markets [8] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company aims to become debt-free, having entered into an agreement to convert approximately $52 million in term debt to senior secured convertible notes [4] - A revitalized go-to-market strategy is being implemented, focusing on customer experience and aligning with long-term partners [9] - The introduction of new capabilities in ActiveScale aims to enhance the functionality of cold data, making it more usable for AI and analytics [11] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in the company's financial position, citing the restructuring efforts and improved sales momentum [4][23] - The outlook for Q3 2026 anticipates revenue of approximately $67 million, with non-GAAP operating expenses expected to be around $25 million [20][21] Other Important Information - The company has added Jeff Barrow as Chief Product Officer to enhance product development and align with market needs [6] - The Library of Congress selected Quantum's solutions for a significant archiving project, validating the company's technology [10] Q&A Session Summary Question: Current health of the North American pipeline and lead development processes - Management reported a strong pipeline with record backlog and effective lead generation processes being implemented [25] Question: Details on product development priorities - Focus on scaling manufacturing for Scalar tape libraries and improving ActiveScale cold storage capabilities [26] Question: Clarification on backlog composition - The backlog consists solely of product, with product bookings up 28% year-over-year [31][32] Question: Customer concentration in backlog - The backlog is well-diversified across products, with no significant concentration in one customer [34] Question: Impact of government shutdown on federal business - The government shutdown did not significantly impact the federal business, but there is a need to close pending deals [42] Question: Product gross margin challenges - Management acknowledged challenges with too many SKUs and supply chain tightness affecting product gross margins [48][49]

Core Insights - The global data storage market is projected to grow from $255.3 billion in 2025 to $774 billion by 2032, with a CAGR of 17.2%, driven by AI, cloud computing, and edge applications [1] - Seagate Technology Holdings plc (STX) and Quantum Corporation (QMCO) are positioned to benefit from the increasing demand for scalable and efficient data storage solutions [1][3] Seagate Technology Holdings plc (STX) - STX is advancing its growth through Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording (HAMR) technology, which enhances areal density to meet storage demands from hyperscale data centers and AI applications [2] - The company anticipates that mass-capacity hard drives will be essential for efficiency and total cost of ownership (TCO) as enterprise storage demand grows alongside cloud trends [4] - Seagate is expanding its PMR 24–28TB platform and has achieved record quarterly sales for nearline products [5] - The company is focused on ramping up Mozaic 3+ drives and executing 4+TB per-disk HAMR drives to support cloud workloads [6] - Seagate aims to launch 5TB-per-disk technology by early 2028 and is working on demonstrating 10TB per disk [7] - Despite its strong market position, STX faces risks such as foreign exchange fluctuations, competition, and high indebtedness [9] - The company expects to resume share repurchases, indicating confidence in its profitability and cash flow for fiscal 2026 [10] Quantum Corporation (QMCO) - QMCO provides end-to-end data lifecycle management solutions, focusing on high-speed capture, secure backup, and long-term archiving [11] - The company is restructuring to align with growth trends in AI and data protection, enhancing its sales distribution and execution [12] - QMCO's flagship solutions, such as ActiveScale cold storage and Scalar i7 RAPTOR, are designed for high performance and scalability [14] - However, QMCO has experienced a decline in revenues, with an 11% year-over-year drop to $64.3 million, and reported a non-GAAP loss of $1.58 per share [16] - The company is facing challenges with high debt levels and increased inventory provisions impacting its bottom line [16] Performance and Valuation - Over the past year, STX has gained 138.2%, while QMCO has seen a 236% increase [17] - QMCO's forward 12-month price/sales ratio is 0.61X, significantly lower than STX's 5.16X [18] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for STX's earnings for fiscal 2026 has been revised up to $10.52, while QMCO's estimate has been revised down to a loss of $2.17 [19][24] - STX holds a Zacks Rank 1 (Strong Buy), while QMCO has a Zacks Rank 4 (Sell), indicating a preference for STX at this time [25]