MaxLinear NASDAQ: MXL reported a sharp increase in second-quarter 2026 revenue and returned to GAAP profitability, as executives said demand for the company’s data center optical products is driving a new growth phase.
On the company’s earnings call, Chief Executive Officer Kishore Seendripu said MaxLinear’s overall revenue grew 55% year over year, reflecting “strong execution” and accelerating adoption of its newest data center products. He said infrastructure has become MaxLinear’s largest revenue category, with revenue in that segment rising 145% year over year, driven by production ramps in optical platforms for data centers.
“Our Q2 financial results highlight the exciting inflection in our business trajectory and the beginning of a multiyear growth phase for MaxLinear,” Seendripu said.
Revenue rises 55%, infrastructure becomes largest category
Chief Financial Officer and Chief Corporate Strategy Officer Steve Litchfield said total revenue for the second quarter was $168.8 million, up 23% from $137.2 million in the prior quarter and up 55% from $108.8 million in the second quarter of 2025.
By end market, Litchfield said second-quarter revenue was approximately:
- Infrastructure: $85 million
- Broadband: $45 million
- Connectivity: $24 million
- Industrial and multi-market: $15 million
GAAP gross margin was 57.8%, while non-GAAP gross margin was 59.5%. Litchfield said the difference between GAAP and non-GAAP gross margin was primarily due to $2.5 million of acquisition-related intangible asset amortization.
GAAP operating expenses were $101.8 million, compared with non-GAAP operating expenses of $62.8 million. The difference was primarily tied to stock-based compensation and performance-based equity accruals totaling $36.5 million, along with $2.2 million in acquisition-related and other costs.
MaxLinear reported GAAP earnings per share of $0.02 for the quarter, which Litchfield said marked a return to GAAP profitability. Non-GAAP earnings per share were $0.35. Operating cash flow was approximately $4.8 million, and the company ended the quarter with about $93.7 million in cash equivalents and restricted cash.
Optical data center outlook raised again
Seendripu said MaxLinear is raising its expectations for 2026 optical data center revenue to a range of $210 million to $230 million, citing customer orders and stronger visibility into program ramps. He said run rates are expected to expand into 2027.
The company’s Keystone product, a 100 gigabit-per-lane, five-nanometer CMOS PAM4 DSP and SerDes technology, is ramping into high-volume production at major hyperscale customers in the U.S. and Asia for 400G and 800G deployments, Seendripu said. He said Keystone delivers “almost 40% lower consumption in power than competition” and is serving as the foundation for future customer engagements involving 1.6 terabit and 3.2 terabit architectures.
During the question-and-answer session, Seendripu said the company began the year with revenue more concentrated in 400G, but the current growth is being driven by 800G PAM4 products. He said 800G is expected to become a substantially larger portion of run-rate revenue going forward.
Asked whether the increase in the 2026 optical outlook was tied entirely to Keystone, Seendripu told Cody Acree of The Benchmark Company that it was “all driven by Keystone product family” and did not include 2026 revenue from Washington or Annapurna.
Next-generation products expected to contribute in 2027
Seendripu highlighted several products intended to extend MaxLinear’s data center portfolio. Rushmore, the company’s 1.6 terabit optical PAM4 DSP at 200 gigabit-per-lane speeds, is expected to become an important optical connectivity growth driver beginning in 2027, he said.
Washington, a standalone 200 gigabit-per-lane TIA platform, can be paired with Rushmore or deployed in LPO and NPO implementations that do not require a DSP. Annapurna, a 200 gigabit-per-lane Ethernet retimer platform, is aimed at 1.6 terabit active electrical cable and onboard retimer requirements for AI systems.
Seendripu said Rushmore, Washington and Annapurna are sampling and in customer qualification and design processes. He said the company expects revenue to begin in 2027, with one or two opportunities potentially starting in the second half of that year and layering into 2028 and 2029.
Beyond optical, Seendripu said MaxLinear’s first XGS-PON hyperscaler design win for dedicated data center control plane architectures has completed qualification for a 2027 ramp. He also said the company has secured USB bridge controller design wins at two major hyperscalers for AI rack management.
Broadband and connectivity grow; industrial recovery continues
Seendripu said broadband and connectivity revenue both increased in the second quarter, supported by large-scale deployments of single-chip fiber PON and Wi-Fi 7 gateway platforms at major Tier 1 service providers in North America and Europe. He said MaxLinear is also in the early stages of Ultra DOCSIS 3.1 and 4.0 deployments, which are expected to provide additional stability as ramps progress through 2027 and 2028.
In response to a question from Wells Fargo analyst Joe Quattrocchi, Litchfield said there had not been significant changes in broadband demand trends. He said MaxLinear has been gaining share in PON programs and that telco capital spending remains “good.”
On the industrial and multi-market business, Litchfield told Karl Ackerman of BNP Paribas that the segment has been recovering after a weak prior year. He said the company is seeing year-over-year improvement and expects pricing, including in China, as well as new products to contribute to growth.
Third-quarter guidance points to further growth
For the third quarter of 2026, MaxLinear expects revenue of $210 million to $220 million. Litchfield said the company expects growth across all four business segments, with particular strength in infrastructure from data center optical interconnects.
The company guided for GAAP gross margin of approximately 57% to 60% and non-GAAP gross margin of 58.5% to 61.5%. GAAP operating expenses are expected to be $98 million to $104 million, while non-GAAP operating expenses are expected to be $66 million to $71 million.
Litchfield said infrastructure products historically have carried gross margins above the corporate average, helping support the outlook. He also noted cost increases in wafers, packaging and testing, saying the company is being cautious but sees continued margin improvement potential.
Asked about longer-term profitability, Litchfield said MaxLinear’s target has not changed and that the company’s long-term goal is to reach operating margins of 30% to 35%. He said the business is “headed in that direction,” though he declined to guide beyond the current quarter.
Litchfield said visibility is strong across most of MaxLinear’s businesses, extending to about six months, supported by backlog and demand. The company has also made wafer prepayments to secure supply for rising data center product demand, which executives said is backed by customer orders extending into the second half of 2026 and 2027.
About MaxLinear (NASDAQ:MXL)
MaxLinear, Inc is a provider of radio-frequency (RF), analog, and mixed-signal integrated circuits for broadband communications, data center connectivity, and video infrastructure applications. The company's product portfolio includes high-performance RF front-end modules, broadband power amplifiers, optical and Ethernet transceivers, and network processors designed to support demanding signal processing requirements.
MaxLinear's semiconductor solutions are used by cable and satellite television operators, fiber-to-the-home service providers, network equipment manufacturers, and data center operators.
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