Marvell credits connectivity chips for most of a $2 billion lift in its fiscal 2028 target
Marvell raised its fiscal 2028 revenue target to about $20 billion, up from $18 billion in August and $16.5 billion before that. Chief executive Matt Murphy credits most of the gain to connectivity products such as 1.6T optical signal processors, while data center sales, 79% of revenue, still rest on a handful of hyperscaler budgets.
The Investor · Invest desk
What happened
- Analysts had expected fiscal 2028 revenue of $18.2 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG.
- Data center revenue reached $2.17 billion in fiscal Q2 2027, up 46% from a year earlier, out of total quarterly revenue of $2.739 billion.
- Murphy indicated that Marvell's agreement with Google should make a more substantial impact starting in fiscal 2029.
- Marvell also sized the overall AI market at $400 billion by 2030.
Why it matters
- Who's exposed exposure A cut in AI capital spending at Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft or Meta would reach Marvell quickly, whatever share of the new target comes from connectivity.
- What it limits constraint After 46% data center growth in the second quarter, the other three quarters of fiscal 2027 must together grow faster than 60% for Marvell to meet its own forecast.
- What it sets up precedent A slip in the Google program would show up first in fiscal 2029 estimates, because Marvell built its fiscal 2028 target mostly without it.
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Each raise has been larger than the last. The first, from $16.5 billion to $18 billion, added $1.5 billion [14]. The second added about $2 billion, and together they put the fiscal 2028 target about 21% above where it started [14]. Marvell expects roughly $12 billion of revenue in the current fiscal year, about 45% growth [4]. Getting from that base to $20 billion takes about 67% growth in a single year [15].
Murphy attributes most of the latest uplift to connectivity products, which Crypto Briefing says include 1.6T optical signal processors and scale-up optics [9]. That supports the idea that AI budgets at Marvell's customers now buy networking silicon alongside compute [9]. It does less for the idea that the money comes from more places. Marvell's custom silicon programs are with Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft and Meta [12], and Crypto Briefing describes the company as heavily exposed to a handful of hyperscaler budgets [5]. In my view the spread the sources show is across Marvell's product list, or rather across the parts of an AI build-out that those few buyers pay for. Neither report breaks out connectivity revenue by customer.
The Google agreement is the larger figure and the later one. According to Crypto Briefing, it is multi-year, covers up to 58.97 million shares and could be valued at $120 billion by fiscal 2033 if milestones are met [11]. That ceiling is six times the new fiscal 2028 target and sits five fiscal years beyond it [18]. With most of the deal's effect placed in fiscal 2029 and later [10], the fiscal 2028 number does not depend on those milestones arriving on schedule [13].
If Crypto Briefing's reading holds, connectivity carries fiscal 2028 and Google adds a second leg from fiscal 2029 [13]. If one of the four hyperscalers slows its AI capital spending, the same publication expects Marvell to feel it quickly [5], whichever product line the cut lands on. Or Marvell reaches $20 billion and the shares do little, because the price already reflects it [1]. The new target is about 11% above the August figure and about 10% above the analyst consensus [16][19]. The shares rose nearly 9% in early trading, after more than tripling this year, according to CNA [6].
I think the evidence supports connectivity as the driver of this raise and does not yet show a wider set of buyers. That view would be wrong if one of the four cut its AI spending and Marvell's connectivity sales kept growing anyway. It would also be wrong if Marvell named connectivity customers outside its four custom silicon partners [12].
What to watch
- Marvell's fiscal Q3 2027 data center growth, set against Q2's 46% and the faster pace its full-year forecast requires.
- Whether any further fiscal 2028 raise again comes from connectivity or starts to lean on custom silicon or the Google program.
- Disclosure of what the 58.97 million shares in the Google agreement are and which milestones support the $120 billion figure.
Information, not investment advice. This story is general information about companies and markets, drawn from cited reporting. It is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any security; check the cited sources before acting.
Clarity's read
What the record supports and how the coverage leans. The claims behind it follow.
Reality
- Evidence62
- Adoption68
- Hype gap+25
- Incentives70
- Confidence60
Perspective Coverage
4 publishers- Builder
- Builder 11%
- Operator
- Operator 8%
- Investor
- Investor 81%
Claim ledger
Ranked by verification strength, evidence, and original report placement.
- [1]
Marvell Technology now expects about $20 billion in revenue for fiscal 2028.
- [2]
When Marvell reported fiscal Q2 2027 results in late August 2026, it put fiscal 2028 revenue at approximately $18 billion.
- [3]
The $18 billion fiscal 2028 figure was itself an upgrade from a previous estimate of $16.5 billion.
- [4]
Marvell expects fiscal 2027 revenue of roughly $12 billion, growth of about 45% year over year.
- [5]
With data center revenue at 79% of the total, Marvell is heavily exposed to a handful of hyperscaler budgets; if any of Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft or Meta slows its AI capital spending, the effect on Marvell would be felt quickly.
- [6]
Marvell shares rose nearly 9 per cent in early trading; the stock has more than tripled in value so far this year.
- [7]
Marvell sizes the AI market at $400 billion by 2030.
- [8]
In fiscal Q2 2027, data center revenue reached $2.17 billion, up 46% from a year earlier, making up 79% of total quarterly revenue of $2.739 billion.
- [9]
According to CEO Matt Murphy, most of the fiscal 2028 uplift comes from Marvell's connectivity products, which include 1.6T optical signal processors and scale-up optics.
- [10]
Murphy indicated the Google deal is expected to make a more substantial impact starting in fiscal 2029.
- [11]
The Google agreement is multi-year, covers up to 58.97 million shares, and could be valued at $120 billion by fiscal 2033 if milestones are met.
- [12]
Marvell's custom silicon programs involve Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft and Meta.
- [13]
Because Murphy attributes most of the uplift to connectivity rather than the Google agreement, the fiscal 2028 number does not hinge on one marquee deal ramping on schedule, leaving the Google relationship as a potential second leg of growth beginning in fiscal 2029.
- [14]
The first raise added $1.5 billion and the second about $2 billion; the fiscal 2028 target is about 21% above the original $16.5 billion.
- [15]
Reaching about $20 billion in fiscal 2028 from roughly $12 billion in fiscal 2027 implies about 67% growth.
- [16]
The new target is about 11% above the $18 billion August figure.
- [17]
Analysts were expecting fiscal 2028 revenue of $18.2 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG.
- [18]
The $120 billion possible Google agreement value is six times the fiscal 2028 target and dated five fiscal years later.
- [19]
The new target is about $1.8 billion, or about 10%, above the $18.2 billion analyst consensus.
- [20]
Marvell projects data center revenue will grow by more than 60% in fiscal 2027.
- [21]
With fiscal Q2 2027 data center growth at 46% and full-year data center growth forecast above 60%, the other three quarters of fiscal 2027 must together grow faster than 60%.
Sources
4 independent publishers whose own reporting we read for this story.
- channelnewsasia.comMarvell raises 2028 revenue forecast on strong AI data center demand
1 article · October 6, 2026
- cryptobriefing.comMarvell lifts FY28 revenue outlook to about $20 billion as AI spending climbs
2 articles · October 6, 2026
- qz.comMarvell is targeting $70 billion to $90 billion in revenue by fiscal 2031
1 article · October 6, 2026
- seekingalpha.comMarvell Technology, Inc. (MRVL) Analyst/Investor Day Transcript
5 articles · October 8, 2026
Topics and entities
Topics
- Semiconductor revenue guidance
- Custom AI Silicon
- Hyperscaler Capital Spending
- AI data center connectivity