Updated
Updated · Yahoo Finance · Aug 15
Broadcom Tops Cisco as AI Bet With 23x P/E and $30 Billion Backlog
Updated
Updated · Yahoo Finance · Aug 15

Broadcom Tops Cisco as AI Bet With 23x P/E and $30 Billion Backlog

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo Finance · Aug 15

Summary

  • Broadcom emerged as the stronger AI investment after posting 143% AI semiconductor revenue growth to $10.8 billion, with Q3 guidance of $16 billion and bookings above $30 billion.
  • That growth comes at a lower valuation than Cisco—23 times earnings versus 26 times—despite Cisco delivering only about 15% total growth from its latest quarter.
  • Cisco still showed strong AI demand: full-year AI orders reached $9.3 billion, nearly double its $5 billion target, while Q4 AI infrastructure orders hit $4 billion and networking revenue rose 28%.
  • Broadcom’s edge rests on longer visibility and higher margins, with its AI backlog extending to 2028 and custom XPU programs tied to major AI customers including Google, Meta, OpenAI and Anthropic.
  • The main constraint on that thesis is concentration risk, as roughly six hyperscaler buyers underpin Hock Tan’s AI push toward a fiscal 2027 target above $100 billion.

Insights

Will Broadcom's massive AI chip profits suddenly collapse if its handful of hyperscaler clients cut their spending?
Are we witnessing a true AI infrastructure revolution, or just a temporary hardware bubble destined to burst by 2028?
As AI agents flood networks with machine-speed traffic, can Cisco's embedded security actually prevent catastrophic automated cyberattacks?