
← Beta Finch - Semiconductors - EN3 sep · 7 min
Broadcom Q3 2026 Earnings Analysis
More earnings analysis: https://betafinch.com
Groups: CHIPS (https://betafinch.com/groups/CHIPS), AI_LEADERS (https://betafinch.com/groups/AI_LEADERS)
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WELCOME TO BETA FINCH, your AI-powered earnings breakdown. I'm Alex, joined as always by Jordan, and today we're digging into Broadcom's fiscal Q3 2026 numbers—and folks, these are some genuinely wild numbers.
ALEX: Before we get into it, quick reminder: this podcast is AI-generated content for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing we discuss should be considered investment advice. Always do your own research and consult a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions.
JORDAN: And it's a good quarter to have that disclaimer front and center, because Hock Tan basically stood up and said "we're just getting started," and then backed it up with a $230 billion revenue forecast for 2028.
ALEX: Let's start with the headline numbers. Q3 revenue came in at $29.6 billion, up 86% year-on-year. Operating income hit $20.1 billion, up 92%, with a record 68% operating margin. And free cash flow? $13.7 billion, 46% of revenue.
JORDAN: Those margins are the story for me. Gross margin actually dipped slightly, down to about 75%, because AI chips carry more memory content and lower margins than the rest of the business. But operating margin still climbed because revenue is growing so much faster than expenses. That's operating leverage doing exactly what it's supposed to do.
ALEX: Right, and the AI piece specifically—AI semiconductor revenue was $16.7 billion for the quarter, more than tripling year-over-year. That's now 56% of total revenue, up from 49% just last quarter.
JORDAN: This company has essentially transformed into an AI infrastructure company that happens to also sell broadband chips and VMware software.
ALEX: Speaking of which, let's talk customers, because this is where it gets interesting. Broadcom has six custom AI chip customers, but Hock Tan really zeroed in on four: Google, Anthropic, OpenAI, and Meta.
JORDAN: The Google relationship is the elder statesman here—a decade of TPU development, and they just signed a long-term deal for "multi-tens of billions of dollars" of TPUs annually. They shipped the new Ironwood TPU v7 this quarter and are already ramping the next-gen v8i.