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Aehr Test Systems reported record quarterly bookings and a significantly strengthened backlog for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026, driven by growing demand for wafer-level and package-level burn-in solutions used in AI processors, silicon photonics, and power semiconductors. The company also issued fiscal 2027 revenue guidance of $130 million to $150 million, representing expected year-over-year growth of approximately 160% to 200%.
For the fourth quarter ended May 29, 2026, Aehr reported:
- Revenue: $18.8 million, up from $14.1 million a year earlier
- GAAP net income: $1.4 million ($0.04 per diluted share), compared with a GAAP net loss of $2.9 million in the prior-year quarter
- Non-GAAP net income: $3.6 million ($0.11 per diluted share)
- Record bookings: $60.7 million
- Backlog: $80.6 million at quarter-end, increasing to $100.6 million including subsequent bookings
- Cash and equivalents: $116.5 million, up from $37.1 million at the end of the previous quarter
For the full fiscal year, Aehr reported:
- Revenue: $50.0 million, compared with $59.0 million in fiscal 2025
- GAAP net loss: $7.1 million
- Non-GAAP net income: $0.9 million
- Cash used in operating activities: $3.3 million
Aehr said demand for its FOX wafer-level burn-in (WLBI) systems continued to grow as AI chip manufacturers increasingly adopt wafer-level testing to improve reliability and reduce manufacturing costs.
The company reported:
- A lead AI customer is expanding production capacity and transitioning burn-in from system-level testing to full wafer-level burn-in for AI accelerators.
- Successful benchmark testing with a major supplier of AI accelerators, CPUs, and networking processors has led to plans for pilot production validation.
- The customer has also requested evaluation of a second high-volume processor, representing an additional long-term opportunity.
Demand also increased for Aehr’s Sonoma package-level burn-in systems used in AI processor manufacturing.
According to the company:
- Its largest hyperscale customer placed record follow-on production orders.
- The customer plans to deploy Sonoma systems for a second AI processor with approximately twice the power consumption of the current device.
- Additional engagements are underway with manufacturers of AI accelerators, ASICs, networking processors, automotive AI processors, and robotics chips.
Aehr reported growing demand for burn-in solutions used in silicon photonics as AI data centers increasingly adopt optical interconnects.
The company noted:
- Its lead silicon photonics customer continues expanding production with additional system orders.
- A second major networking equipment supplier has forecast further purchases to support next-generation hyperscale AI infrastructure.
- Management expects silicon photonics to become a significant long-term growth market.
Aehr also highlighted improving conditions in the silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductor market.
Recent developments include:
- Approximately $8 million in new SiC WaferPak orders received during the past month.
- Expanded production orders from its largest SiC customer.
- A qualification order from one of the world’s largest automotive manufacturers for silicon carbide devices used in next-generation electric vehicles.
The company expects renewed demand for both SiC and GaN power semiconductor burn-in systems, supported by vehicle electrification and AI data center power infrastructure.
Beyond AI and power semiconductors, Aehr continues developing wafer-level burn-in solutions for future NAND flash and High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) production, working with multiple memory manufacturers as industry capacity expands.
Original – Aehr Test Systems
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Solid-State Transformers (SSTs) are moving toward commercial deployment as growing power demands from AI data centers, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and modernized power grids drive interest in more efficient high-voltage power distribution. The transition to 800 V high-voltage direct current (HVDC) architectures is expected to increase demand for advanced silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductors and supporting power electronics.
The rapid expansion of AI computing is placing unprecedented demands on data center power infrastructure. Traditional power distribution systems, based on 400 V AC networks with multiple conversion stages to low-voltage server supplies, are becoming increasingly inefficient as rack power requirements continue to rise.
To address these challenges, the industry is evaluating 800 V HVDC architectures, which simplify power distribution by reducing the number of conversion stages. Major technology companies, including NVIDIA, have announced plans to transition future AI platforms toward 800 V HVDC beginning later this decade.
Solid-State Transformers replace conventional copper and iron transformers with semiconductor-based power conversion systems capable of directly converting medium-voltage AC into low-voltage DC.
Compared with traditional transformer-based architectures, SSTs offer:
- Fewer power conversion stages
- Higher overall efficiency
- Improved power density
- Reduced system size and weight
- Greater flexibility for intelligent grid management
These advantages make SSTs well suited for AI data centers, industrial power systems, and next-generation electrical grids.
Power semiconductors are a key enabling technology for solid-state transformers. Most SST architectures employ cascaded H-bridge topologies that require high-voltage silicon carbide devices across multiple conversion stages.
Typical voltage requirements include:
- 2.3 kV to 6.5 kV SiC devices for front-end AC-DC conversion
- 1.2 kV to 2.3 kV SiC devices for downstream DC-DC conversion
As system voltages continue to increase, development is shifting toward 10 kV-class SiC MOSFETs, which can reduce switching losses, simplify converter topologies, and decrease component counts compared with conventional multilevel SiC or IGBT-based designs.
Higher-voltage devices also require advanced gate drivers capable of supporting high isolation voltages and reliable operation under high dv/dt conditions.
As the SST market advances, onsemi is expanding its silicon carbide portfolio to support high-power infrastructure applications.
Key technologies include:
- Commercial SiC power modules for current-generation solid-state transformer designs
- Next-generation 2.3 kV and 3.3 kV SiC devices for higher-voltage systems
- Hybrid silicon and SiC power solutions that balance performance and cost
- Scalable power conversion building blocks ranging from hundreds of kilowatts to multi-megawatt systems
- High-reliability SiC technologies for aerospace and mission-critical applications
- SiC-based power protection devices for solid-state circuit breakers and power bypass systems
Beyond AI data centers, solid-state transformers are expected to support a wide range of high-power applications, including:
- Grid modernization
- Renewable energy integration
- Energy storage systems
- Electric vehicle fast charging
- Industrial power distribution
- Smart grids
- Microgrids
Original – onsemi
