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2026-07-29 08:36 UTC → 2026-07-29 08:49 UTC ·
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In early July 2026, analysts noted that rising demand for Analysts traced a surge in AI‑focused infrastructure lifted the spending to rising share prices of for semiconductor equipment maker KLA‑Tencor (now KLA Corp) Corp (formerly KLA‑Tencor) and glass supplier Corning. Corning in early July 2026. By month‑end, month‑end KLA posted fourth‑quarter reported FY2026 fourth‑quarter revenue of about roughly $3.58 billion and non‑GAAP EPS earnings of $9.87, driven by accelerating orders for AI chip production. The company raised its quarterly dividend for the $9.87 per share, prompting a 17th straight year consecutive dividend increase and launched a new $7 billion share‑repurchase program, signalling strong investor confidence. plan. On 27 July 2026, 2026 KLA projected first‑quarter revenue of roughly about $4 billion (±$200 million) and adjusted earnings of $1.16 per share, topping analysts’ estimates, while its fourth‑quarter revenue rose 15.1% to $3.66 billion. Shares slipped about 8% after the forecast despite a 57% year‑to‑date gain. Seagate Technology forecast first‑quarter Q1 revenue of near $4.1 billion (±$100 million) and adjusted earnings of $7.30 per share, also above expectations, after a 48.5% jump in fourth‑quarter revenue to $3.63 billion. share. Both CEOs credited outlooks topped Wall Street estimates and were attributed to continued AI‑infrastructure investment and the rapid build‑out of generative‑AI workloads as the primary drivers of build‑out, which is driving demand for KLA’s process‑control tools and Seagate’s high‑capacity HAMR storage. Multiple reports on 27 July reiterated these figures, confirming that The companies’ fourth‑quarter revenues rose 15.1% to $3.66 billion (KLA) and 48.5% to $3.63 billion (Seagate), underscoring the AI rapid expansion of AI‑enabled supply chains. These developments highlight how the generative‑AI compute boom is translating into higher spending on semiconductor process‑control equipment and massive data‑center storage capacity, expanding extending the AI‑enabled supply chain AI‑driven growth cycle beyond wafer‑inspection tools into high‑capacity storage. storage solutions.