AMD: It's A Golden Buying OpportunityHello,
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc engages in the provision of semiconductor businesses. It operates through the following segments: Computing & Graphics, and Enterprise, Embedded and Semi-Custom. The Computing and Graphics segment includes desktop and notebook processors and chipsets, discrete and integrated graphics processing units, data centre and professional GPUs and development services. The Enterprise, Embedded and Semi-Custom segment includes server and embedded processors, semi-custom System-on-Chip products, development services and technology for game consoles.
TECHNICAL ANALYSIS- Checklist
Structure drawing (Trend line drawing on past price chart data)- As shown below
Patterns identification (Naming patterns on past price chart data for future wave)- As shown
Future indication (Reading indicator for future wave)- Awaiting 0 crossover on MACD
Future wave (Drawing on future price chart using future indication from indicator)- As shown below
Future reversal point (Identifying trend reversal point on price chart using structure)- Target as shown $244
AMD shares are currently trading near their 52-week lows after the top reached in March 2024. Just A day after inauguration the Trump administration announced the Stargate AI Infrastructure initiative in collaboration with OpenAI, SoftBank and Oracle. According to Aaron Rakers, a Semiconductor and IT Hardware analyst, the initiative aims to deploy an immediate $100 billion for AI data center construction, starting with an ongoing project in Abilene, Texas, with the potential to scale up to $500 billion over the next four years. While this development is expected to benefit AI infrastructure and semiconductor companies, OpenAI's press release specifically mentioned NVIDIA and ARM as key initial partners, omitting AMD. This raise concerns that AMD may have missed a crucial opportunity in the AI investment boom. While this might be seen as negative there is positive news coming in from the US government, Yesterday 11th February 2025 JD Vance said the administration of President Donald Trump "will ensure that the most powerful AI systems are built in the U.S. with American-designed and manufactured chips.” This gives hope for United States of America AI companies in the coming years.
Recently Deepseek caused ripples in the AI market as well. DeepSeek a Chinese AI startup is challenging the prevailing "bigger is better" mindset in AI model training by delivering high-performance results with fewer GPUs and lower costs. This suggests that innovation in model design and efficiency can rival brute-force training approaches. If hyperscalers begin reassessing the necessity of massive GPU clusters, it could impact long-term demand for training hardware. However, near-term spending on AI infrastructure remains strong, with companies like Meta, Microsoft, Amazon and Google continuing their multi-billion-dollar investments as per their recent Q4 earning updates. While DeepSeek has stirred significant discussion in the semiconductor space, it is yet to showcase any ground-breaking advancements beyond what OpenAI already offers. Having tested the product, we noticed that OpenAI has quickly updated its reasoning capabilities to match DeepSeek's edge over ChatGPT. One of the biggest limitations of generative AI platforms remains their outdated datasets, often capped at 2024. We expect this to disappear with time.
It's still too early to determine the full impact, but if DeepSeek’s approach gains widespread adoption, new AI market leaders could emerge, potentially shifting market dynamics. Moreover, DeepSeek's success disrupts the dominance of U.S. firms and highlights vulnerabilities in the effectiveness of export controls on high-end chips.
Despite missing out on the Stargate initiative, AMD has expanded its AI chip portfolio and achieved a significant milestone by securing a spot in Dell’s new commercial AI PC lineup. The commercial PC market, which accounts for 55% of total PC shipments, remains a crucial battleground for vendors. Dell, holding 15% of the total PC market and 23% of the commercial segment, is the third-largest commercial PC vendor, with over 85% of its unit sales tied to commercial customers.
Following AMD’s recent earnings report, the stock plunged 10% in premarket trading. While the company posted solid Q4 results, weaker-than-expected guidance on data center sales weighed on investor sentiment. Lastly, China represents a significant revenue source for AMD. However, the ongoing trade tensions between the U.S. and China pose a considerable risk to this income stream, adding another layer of uncertainty to AMD’s future outlook.
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 28, 2024
Net Revenue: $25,785 million, reflecting a 14% increase from $22,680 million in 2023, driven by strong performance in the Data Center and Client segments.
Gross Profit: $12,725 million, with a gross margin of 49%, up from 46% in 2023, due to a favorable revenue mix shift towards higher-margin segments.
Operating Income: $1,900 million, a significant increase from $401 million in 2023, primarily due to higher revenue and improved gross margins.
Net Income: $1,641 million, compared to $854 million in 2023, driven by increased revenue and operating income.
Diluted EPS: $1.00, up from $0.53 in 2023, reflecting the company's improved profitability.
Revenue Segments: The Data Center segment saw a significant increase in net revenue, driven by higher sales of AMD Instinct GPUs and AMD EPYC CPUs. The Client segment also experienced growth due to increased unit shipments and higher average selling prices of AMD Ryzen processors. However, the Gaming and Embedded segments faced declines in net revenue due to lower semi-custom product revenue and normalized inventory levels, respectively.
New Product Launches: AMD launched several new products, including the 5th Gen AMD EPYC processors, AMD Ryzen AI 300 Series processors, and the Ryzen 9000 series processors. These products are designed to deliver leadership performance in gaming, productivity, and AI capabilities.
New Production Launches: The company expanded its adaptive computing portfolio with the launch of the Versal Series Gen 2 devices, including the Versal AI Edge Series Gen 2 and Versal Prime Series Gen 2 adaptive SoCs, which enhance AI-driven embedded systems.
Future Outlook: AMD plans to continue its focus on AI and enterprise markets, with expectations to complete the acquisition of ZT Systems in the first half of fiscal year 2025. The company also intends to seek a strategic partner for ZT Systems' manufacturing business.
Sales Units: The Client segment reported a 34% increase in unit shipments, reflecting strong demand for AMD mobile and desktop Ryzen processors.
Geographical Performance: International sales accounted for 66% of net revenue in 2024, indicating a strong global presence and continued significance of international markets in AMD's sales strategy.
CHALLENGES AND RISKS
Market and Competitive Risks: The company faces significant economic and strategic risks due to the dominance of Intel and Nvidia in their respective markets, which may limit AMD's ability to compete effectively. The semiconductor industry is highly cyclical, with severe downturns that have historically affected the company.
Operational Risks: The company relies on third-party manufacturers, which poses risks if these suppliers are unable to meet demand or if there are disruptions in the supply chain. Potential security vulnerabilities in products and IT outages or cyberattacks could also disrupt operations.
Legal and Regulatory Risks: Government actions that may limit product exports and evolving expectations regarding corporate responsibility could result in additional costs and reputational harm.
Management Strategies: Management is focusing on timely product introductions and maintaining product quality to provide value to customers. The company is also investing in AI capabilities to meet the growing demand for AI solutions, although the trajectory of AI adoption remains uncertain.
Market Risks: The company is exposed to unfavorable currency exchange rate fluctuations, which could adversely affect profitability and cash flows. Additionally, potential changes in tax regulations and the realization of deferred tax assets could affect financial results.
STRATEGIC INITIATIVES IN 2024
Strategic Initiatives: In 2024, AMD focused on expanding its AI capabilities and data center infrastructure. The company launched multiple leadership products, including the 5th Gen AMD EPYC processors and AMD Ryzen AI 300 Series processors, to enhance its high-performance computing portfolio. AMD also acquired Silo AI Oy to bolster its AI software capabilities and entered into an agreement to acquire ZT Systems to enhance its AI and compute infrastructure offerings.
Capital Management: AMD repaid its 2.95% Senior Notes due 2024, reducing its total debt from $2.5 billion to $1.8 billion. The company returned $862 million to shareholders through the repurchase of 5.9 million shares of common stock. As of December 28, 2024, $4.7 billion remained available for future stock repurchases. AMD maintained a revolving credit facility of $3 billion and a commercial paper program, both of which were undrawn during the year.
Future Outlook: AMD plans to close the acquisition of ZT Systems in the first half of fiscal year 2025, subject to regulatory approvals. The company intends to seek a strategic partner to acquire ZT Systems' manufacturing business. AMD expects to continue leveraging its cash, cash equivalents, and credit facilities to fund operations and strategic initiatives, including potential acquisitions and capital expenditures, over the next 12 months and beyond.
Our recommendation
When it comes to AI beneficiaries and hardware for AI applications, AMD has failed to get the highlight it deserves. This has greatly led to a lot of investors looking at Nvidia vs AMD. However, over the last few weeks, Deepseek caused ripples in the AI market due to its ability to make programs with less powered chips. DeepSeek's V3 a Chinese AI startup is challenging the prevailing "bigger is better" mindset in AI model training by delivering high-performance results with fewer GPUs and lower costs. This suggests that innovation in model design and efficiency can rival brute-force training approaches. As a result of this, we expect more focus to move to alternative companies that are involved in AI infrastructure. AMD remains well positioned to compete with its competitors all round. In November 2024, AMD showcased its ongoing high-performance computing (HPC) leadership at Supercomputing 2024 by powering the world’s fastest supercomputer.
In March 2024, AMD stock reached the all-time high at $227.30. The stock has since retraced by 53.8% to its current price of $110.48. This correction, coupled with the strong fundamentals the company has signals that AMD remains a solid hold in the long term and a great buy from the current levels. AMD continues to focus on expanding its AI capabilities and data centre infrastructure. On 11th February 2024, AMD announced the signing of a Letter of Intent (LOI) with the Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA) of France to collaborate on the advanced technologies, component and system architectures that will shape the future of AI computing. This effort underscores the AMD commitment to fostering international collaborations that accelerate AI innovation, making AI more inclusive and sustainable, and strengthening cooperation, in particular, between the United States and European research institutions. It also opens up for opportunity for more income from the Europe market. For the full year 2024, AMD reported record revenue of $25.8 billion, gross margin of 49%, operating income of $1.9 billion, net income of $1.6 billion, and diluted earnings per share of $1.00. On a non-GAAP (*) basis, gross margin was a record 53%, operating income was $6.1 billion, net income was $5.4 billion and diluted earnings per share was $3.31.
A key risk for AMD is the trade war between the united states and China. China represents a significant revenue source for AMD and the ongoing trade tensions between the U.S. and China pose a considerable risk to this income stream, adding another layer of uncertainty to AMD’s future outlook.
Our view on Advanced Micro Devices is BUY/HOLD with a target of $244. This is a 120.48% return on the stock from the current price of 110.48.
Sources:
www.tradingview.com
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