AMD $AMD soars 15% on Q1 2026 beat; data-center revenue and guidance top estimates

Data Center Powers AMD's Best Post-Earnings Move in Years

AMD shares surged 15% in after-hours trading on May 5, 2026, after the company reported first-quarter results that beat Wall Street estimates on both revenue and forward guidance. Data center growth was the defining driver, signaling that AI infrastructure demand has not yet peaked despite an increasingly crowded competitive landscape.

The company confirmed that its data center segment — fueled by MI-series GPU shipments and Epyc server CPUs — came in ahead of analyst expectations. AMD raised its Q2 guidance above the consensus estimate, a combination that historically produces some of the largest single-session moves in major semiconductor stocks.

The result puts AMD squarely in the winner's circle of the 2026 AI earnings season. Peers like Nvidia ($NVDA) and Broadcom ($AVGO) have also delivered data-center upside, but AMD's outperformance is notable given persistent questions about whether its GPU software stack can compete with CUDA. The Q1 report suggests customers are purchasing AMD hardware regardless.

The ripple hit Seoul. SK Hynix (000660.KS) and Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) opened sharply higher on May 6, contributing to KOSPI's historic breach of 7,000. Separately, Micron ($MU) crossed $700 billion in market capitalization this week, reflecting broad-based bullishness on the memory and compute stack tied to AI workloads.

Key dates: AMD Q2 2026 earnings (expected late July 2026); next FOMC meeting (late May 2026).

Not investment advice. Verify all figures with primary sources before acting.