Shares of Advantest Corp. rocketed as much as 14% on Thursday, hitting fresh highs, after the Japanese semiconductor testing giant unveiled record quarterly sales fueled by unrelenting demand for AI chip testers. The Tokyo-based company reported operating profit for the October-December period soaring 64% year-over-year to 113.6 billion yen ($741.8 million), with its Test System Business sales exploding 51.1% to 723.1 billion yen. This performance, driven by system-on-a-chip testers for high-performance AI semiconductors and memory testers for high-bandwidth DRAM, prompted Advantest to lift its full-year operating profit forecast by 21.4% to 454 billion yen ($2.98 billion) for the fiscal year ending March 2026, as detailed in its CNBC coverage.

The surge reflects the escalating complexity of AI chips, where more advanced testing equipment is essential to verify quality and reliability before shipment. Advantest, which commands over 50% market share in automated test equipment alongside rival Teradyne, benefits directly from this trend, as noted by Morningstar. Management flagged persistent tester demand into the fourth quarter, even amid risks from geopolitical tensions and currency swings, though tariffs are not seen as a major near-term hit.

Exploding Demand for SoC and Memory Testers

Advantest’s earnings call highlighted explosive growth in its core segments. The SoC/logic tester market is projected at $8.5 billion to $9.5 billion for the year, up 30% year-over-year, with 80% of Advantest’s SoC revenue stemming from AI and high-performance computing applications. Memory tester demand is eyed at $2.2 billion to $2.7 billion, rising 20%, bolstered by custom ASIC ramps and intensifying test times due to GPU and ASIC intricacy, according to insights from X user @zephyr_z9 summarizing the call.

China accounts for 20%-25% of total revenue and is expanding, underscoring Advantest’s global footprint. The company plans to ramp production capacity to 5,000 testers by fiscal year-end 2026, potentially accelerating to 7,500 amid outsized orders, signaling confidence in sustained momentum.

Raising the Bar on Forecasts and Capacity

This marks the latest in a series of upward revisions. Earlier, in October 2025, Advantest hiked its profit outlook by 25% to 374 billion yen on a multi-year AI boom and announced a 150 billion yen share buyback, sending shares up a record 22%, per Bloomberg. CEO Douglas Lefever stated then, “We have grown confident that the favourable business environment, supported by the ongoing build-out of global AI data centre infrastructure, will continue,” as quoted in Reuters.

Analysts echoed the optimism. “Advantest numbers yesterday absolutely smashed it,” said Andrew Jackson, head of Japan equity strategy at Ortus Advisors, well ahead of street estimates, according to MarketScreener. Macquarie’s Hiroshi Taguchi credited TSMC’s strong guidance and investments in chip packaging and testing as a tailwind.

Strategic Positioning in AI Supply Chain

Advantest’s tools detect defects in chips from leaders like Nvidia, essential for AI accelerators. As AI hardware spending surges, testing needs amplify—each tester costs around $1 million, with recurring service contracts adding stability. The firm holds about 58% overall market share, over 60% in memory testing, per TipRanks earnings summaries, despite Chinese local competition in SoC.

Past quarters set the stage: Q1 FY2025 saw record sales of 263.8 billion yen, up 90.1% year-over-year, with CEO Lefever noting, “We’ve delivered an outstanding start to the fiscal year, posting highest-ever quarterly sales, operating income, and net income,” from Investing.com transcript.

Investor Enthusiasm Fuels Record Highs

Shares touched 23,700 yen, up over 130% in 12 months, per Trading Economics, outpacing many peers despite a forward P/E near 65, as Dividend Japan observed. X posts from @ChipsandWafers emphasized rising test complexity driving the trend, aligning with SemiAnalysis views.

While automotive and industrial segments lag, AI dominance—projected 20%-40% revenue growth into 2026—positions Advantest strongly. Capacity expansions and supply chain enhancements ensure it meets demand spikes, as management stressed in briefings on the company’s investor site.

Navigating Risks in Volatile Times

Geopolitical uncertainties and yen volatility loom, but Advantest’s clean balance sheet and shareholder returns, including buybacks, bolster resilience. With AI data center builds accelerating, the tester leader eyes multi-year tailwinds, outshining broader market concerns.