
Dell raises full-year profit forecast on strong AI server demand
Dell Technologies raised its annual profit forecast on Thursday, signaling growing demand for its AI-powered servers that are equipped with Nvidia's powerful chips.
Companies such as Dell and Super Micro Computer have benefited from the growing demand for these servers, but the high cost of producing them and tough competition have pressured margins.
"We generated $12.1 billion in AI orders this quarter alone, surpassing the entirety of shipments in all of FY25 and leaving us with $14.4 billion in backlog," Dell's Chief Operating Officer Jeff Clarke said.
The results follow the U.S. Department of Energy's announcement on Thursday that it would launch a new supercomputer, named Doudna, which will use Dell and Nvidia's advanced technology to perform complex computing tasks.
Dell now expects annual adjusted profit to be $9.40 per share, compared with its prior forecast of $9.30 per share. The company reiterated its annual revenue outlook.
It forecast second-quarter revenue to be between $28.5 billion and $29.5 billion, above analysts' average estimate of $25.05 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG.
Dell's adjusted profit forecast for the second quarter of $2.25 per share was also above estimates of $2.09.
First-quarter revenue came in at $23.38 billion, compared with estimates of $23.14 billion.
Dell's revenue from its infrastructure solutions group, which includes storage, software and server offerings, rose 12 per cent to $10.32 billion. Revenue from its client solutions group, that houses its PC business, rose 5 per cent to $12.51 billion.
On an adjusted basis, the company earned $1.55 per share in the first quarter, missing estimates of $1.69.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


CNA
8 hours ago
- CNA
Bouanga's extra time strike takes LAFC into Club World Cup
Denis Bouanga scored an extra-time winner to lift Los Angeles FC to a 2-1 victory over Club America in a Club World Cup qualifying playoff match at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday. The winger, who had orchestrated much of LAFC's attacking output in the match, scored the winner in the 115th minute after unleashing a shot that took a wicked deflection on its way into the net. After a goalless first half, Mexico's Club America were awarded a penalty in the 62nd minute, when referee Wilton Sampaio went to the pitchside monitor and ruled that Mark Delgado had fouled Erick Sanchez. Substitute Brian Rodriguez, who made 64 appearances for LAFC between 2019 and 2022, stepped up to the spot and fired his effort past goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. LAFC pressed hard for an equaliser and their pressure paid off when Igor Jesus headed home from a corner in the 89th minute to score his first goal for the club and take the match into extra time. The Major League Soccer side go into Group D alongside Brazil's Flamengo, Tunisian club Esperance de Tunis and Premier League side Chelsea. The playoff was held to decide the 32nd team in the Club World Cup after Club Leon were kicked out of the tournament in March due to an ownership rule breach. The Mexican club also had their appeal rejected at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The expanded 32-team Club World Cup runs from June 14 to July 13 in the United States with prize money of $1 billion at stake.


CNA
16 hours ago
- CNA
Commentary: Don't be fooled by GenAI financial advisers
NEW YORK: The wealth management industry is prepared to court its newest potential clients: Gen Z. Instead of trotting out older professionals with decades of experience, companies are utilising generative AI to develop digital assistants. These new 'experts' even come with the ability to use slang to appear relatable and relevant to their target demographic. Embracing the newest technology is yet another cultural shift in the financial services landscape that disrupts some of the norms in the industry. We've seen it with the development of robo-advisers and the rise of ' finfluencers '. Cue the traditionalists turning their noses up at how far the financial advice field has strayed from its origins. After all, future iterations of GenAI really could accelerate the long-prophesied doomsday for flesh-and-blood financial planners. IMPROVING SOFT SKILLS But now isn't the time for humans to declare defeat. Until advanced versions of the technology arrive, people should be doubling down on the one significant advantage they have against their digital counterparts: soft skills. Providing investing advice is only one facet of the job. The role is part therapist, accountability coach and teacher. Real people can push back against panicked requests to sell in a turbulent market instead of simply executing an order. A person understands how and when to ask more questions to determine the reason behind a request for conservative investments such as bonds, even at a young age when it's detrimental to be overly cautious. The problem for many young adults is that accessing this more holistic approach, which goes beyond stats and data, is costly. Financial advisers usually get paid in one of two ways: assets under management (AUM) – a percentage of a customer's investments each year – or a flat-rate fee. The latter varies based on the level of service. A comprehensive financial plan can cost thousands of dollars. AUM ranges from 0.25 per cent to 1.5 per cent, with some advisers reducing the cost as the size of a portfolio grows. LOWER BARRIERS TO ENTRY The greater barrier to entry is the possible minimum investable assets requirement, which often hovers between US$500,000 and US$1 million. Fifteen years ago, these factors prohibited access for millennials. This reality paved the way for cost-effective alternatives in the form of robo-advisers, such as Betterment and Wealthfront, with significantly lower AUM and no asset minimums. The companies sent shockwaves through the industry as many wondered if machines would finally usurp man. As years passed, it became obvious the two could have a symbiotic relationship. In fact, it turned out millennials ultimately did crave some soft skills, which led to platforms launching versions that gave customers access to humans. Instead of cratering the industry, the robo-advisers forced their living counterparts to compete in different ways. Some diversified their services, including offering virtual counsel, and others targeted less-affluent clientele. While it's easy for the regular consumer to conflate a robo-adviser with GenAI, the two are not the same. The latter is built on language-learning models instead of the mathematical-centric AI models and machine-learning algorithms that provide the underpinnings for companies like Betterment and Wealthfront. Gen Z investors may be more attracted to GenAI because it can simulate how people speak and even look. Plus, the cohort is more primed to be early adopters of the tool. They've grown used to receiving free, one-size-fits-all money guidance online. FALLIBLE TECHNOLOGY A stunning 77 per cent of teens and 20-somethings use online platforms and social media to answer their money questions, according to a 2025 Credit Karma survey. But they should remember that the technology's modern iteration is new and, like humans, fallible, which results in inaccurate or misleading information known as 'hallucinations.' Even with all these issues to resolve, companies are bullish on GenAI's ability to spit out 24/7 guidance and woo new clients. Arta Finance, a wealth management startup, is at the forefront of providing an AI financial adviser with Arta AI. The 'AI agents', as the company refers to its investment planner, product specialist, and research analyst offerings, can respond to queries by voice or text (and do so in the aforementioned generationally-appropriate slang). Arta is only available to accredited investors and offers access to human professionals, but the company plans to make Arta AI available to other financial services companies. A move that could give all kinds of retail investors access to its product. It's likely that plenty of platforms won't wait to license the service and instead will develop their own. A HUGE PITFALL Robinhood Markets plans to launch Robinhood Cortex, an AI-powered digital research assistant, this fall. The app offers a variety of investing options, including Robinhood Strategies, the company's robo-adviser. Unlike Arta Finance's offering of real-life advisers alongside its AI agents, Robinhood customers can currently only access a support team, which is mostly available to handle administrative questions. And that's a huge pitfall. Companies that don't prioritise establishing relationships with real professionals can cause retail investors to panic in turbulent times, especially novice ones who are able to access advanced opportunities, such as trading options. Granting inexperienced customers access to higher-level investing products without proper support can be financially, mentally and emotionally ruinous. Robinhood should know. In 2020, it paid the largest Financial Industry Regulatory Authority fine in history – US$70 million – for its technical outages, lack of due diligence before approving customers to trade options and sending of misleading information.


CNA
a day ago
- CNA
Google says it will appeal online search antitrust decision
Alphabet's Google on Saturday said it will appeal an antitrust decision under which a federal judge proposed less aggressive ways to restore online search competition than the 10-year regime suggested by antitrust enforcers "We will wait for the Court's opinion. And we still strongly believe the Court's original decision was wrong, and look forward to our eventual appeal," Google said in a post on X. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta in Washington heard closing arguments on Friday at a trial on proposals to address Google's illegal monopoly in online search and related advertising. In April, a federal judge said that Google illegally dominated two markets for online advertising technology, with the U.S. Department of Justice saying that Google should sell off at least its Google Ad Manager, which includes the company's publisher ad server and its ad exchange. The DOJ and a coalition of states want Google to share search data and cease multibillion-dollar payments to Apple and other smartphone makers to be the default search engine on new devices. Antitrust enforcers are concerned about how Google's search monopoly gives it an advantage in artificial intelligence products like Gemini and vice versa. John Schmidtlein, an attorney for Google, said at the hearing that while generative AI is influencing how search looks, Google has addressed any concerns about competition in AI by no longer entering exclusive agreements with wireless carriers and smartphone makers including Samsung Electronics, leaving them free to load rival search and AI apps on new devices.