Arm beats revenue estimates as AI, data-center demand lifts licensing growth

Arm beats revenue estimates as AI, data-center demand lifts licensing growth
Arm revenue driven by AI

Growing use of Arm-based designs in artificial intelligence and cloud infrastructure is supporting the chip architecture company's top line as customers expand deployment of custom processors. The group also says its server-chip architecture accounts for more than half of deployments at major cloud providers in 2025 and is expected to top 60% by the end of 2026.

Highlights

  • Arm reports Q2 revenue of $1.44 billion versus analyst estimate of $1.38 billion, driven by 8% royalty growth and $773 million licensing revenue.
  • Arm forecasts Q3 revenue of $1.54 billion, marginally above $1.53 billion consensus, citing power efficiency demand for AI and data center products.
  • Arm shares drop 2% after earnings as legal uncertainty persists following Delaware jury finding breach in Qualcomm licensing, awarding $2 in damages.

Quarterly performance and cloud adoption

As reported by Reuters, Arm says second-quarter revenue reaches $1.44 billion, topping analysts' average estimate of $1.38 billion compiled by LSEG, as higher royalty payments and licensing fees offset pressure in other areas.

Adjusted profit comes in at 52 cents per share, ahead of estimates for 47 cents per share. Royalty revenue rises 8% to $670 million in the quarter, while licensing revenue totals $773 million, well above the analyst estimate of $625.1 million.

Arm, which licenses processor architecture rather than manufacturing semiconductors itself, depends primarily on licensing fees and royalties from chips shipped using its technology. The company says demand is being supported by customers deploying its designs in AI-related computing products and data-center workloads.

Outlook, market reaction and legal overhang

For the third quarter, Arm projects revenue of $1.54 billion, slightly above the average analyst estimate of $1.53 billion. The company says its architecture remains attractive because of power efficiency, a key factor for operators trying to control the energy and cooling costs of large AI models.

Shares fall about 2% in extended trading after the results. The update also comes after a Delaware jury last month found that Arm breached parts of its licensing agreement with Qualcomm and interfered with Qualcomm's relationship with Meta, while awarding only $2 in damages and leaving key royalty and future licensing disputes to be decided by a judge.

In our earlier article on Wipro’s second-quarter revenue beat, we noted that steadier client spending—especially a recovery in Europe—helped lift results above market expectations. We also highlighted how artificial intelligence services are starting to generate new revenue streams for major Indian IT providers alongside traditional outsourcing work.

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