AMD CEO Says 2026 Will Be A Major ‘Inflection Year,’ Fueled By AI-Driven CPU Demand

Speaking to CNBC, Su highlighted that the company’s central processing unit lineup remains a dominant force.

• The rise in AI applications for hyperscalers and enterprises has intensified the need for high-performance computing, Su said. 
• She added that AMD has seen its data center business expand from Q4 into Q1, demonstrating ongoing strength across both CPUs and GPUs. 
• AMD reported a Q4 revenue of $10.3 billion and earnings per share of $1.53.

Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) is reportedly poised for a pivotal year in 2026, according to Chair and CEO Lisa Su. She emphasized that the company’s CPU segment continues to perform exceptionally, driving strong growth amid surging demand for artificial intelligence technologies.

Speaking to CNBC, Su highlighted that the company’s central processing unit lineup remains a dominant force.

“We are going into a big inflection year here in 2026. The CPU business is absolutely on fire.”

-Lisa Su, Chair and CEO, AMD 

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The rise in AI applications for hyperscalers and enterprises has intensified the need for high-performance computing, forming the backbone of AMD’s strategy, she added. 

Su said that typically, the first quarter (Q1) is slower due to seasonal patterns, but AMD has seen its data center business expand from Q4 into Q1, demonstrating ongoing strength across both CPUs and GPUs. This growth underscores the company’s ability to capitalize on rising demand for AI compute and enterprise workloads, even during traditionally quieter periods.

AMD stock traded over 14% lower on Wednesday morning. However, on Stocktwits, retail sentiment around the stock improved to ‘extremely bullish’ from ‘bullish’ territory the previous day. At the same time, message volume shifted to ‘extremely high’ from ‘high’ levels in 24 hours. 

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The CEO emphasized that the AI market is expanding faster than anticipated, and AMD aims to provide a complete compute stack to meet diverse enterprise needs. The MI450 series and Helios systems are positioned as the ideal solutions for organizations scaling AI workloads.

Lisa Su’s comments come after the company reported a Q4 revenue of $10.3 billion and earnings per share (EPS) of $1.53, both exceeding the analysts' consensus estimate of $9.67 billion and $1.32, respectively, according to Fsical AI data. 

AMD said it expects Q1 2026 revenue to come in around $9.8 billion, with a possible swing of $300 million either way, implying a sequential drop of 5%. However, the analysts' consensus estimate stands at $9.37 billion.

AMD stock has gained over 74% in the last 12 months. 

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