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Aehr Test Systems: Q3 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q3 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 7 April 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 1 new, 3 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Revenue rose from prior quarter: Net revenue was $10.3 million, down from $18.3 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2025 and up from $9.9 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2026. Source
  • Net loss widened year over year: GAAP net loss was $(3.2) million, or $(0.10) per diluted share, against a $(0.6) million loss, or $(0.02) per share, a year earlier. Non-GAAP net loss was $(1.5) million, or $(0.05) per share. Source
  • Bookings and book-to-bill ratio: Bookings were $37.2 million in the quarter, a book-to-bill ratio above 3.5x. Management ties this to demand across WLBI and PLBI applications. Source
  • Backlog and effective backlog: Backlog at February 27, 2026 was $38.7 million. Including bookings received after that date, effective backlog was $50.9 million. Source
  • New silicon photonics customer win: A new customer developing silicon photonics transceivers for data center networking placed an initial order for FOX systems for qualification and production. Source
  • Next-generation Sonoma production win: The lead hyperscale customer awarded a Sonoma production win for next-generation, higher-power AI accelerators. Its first ASIC processor is already ramping on Sonoma systems. Source
  • Cash rose with offering proceeds: Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash was $37.1 million, up from $31.0 million at November 28, 2025, with equity offering proceeds received in the period. Source

“We are very pleased with the strong momentum in our business across multiple market segments, highlighted by more than $37 million in quarterly bookings and a book-to-bill ratio exceeding 3.5x.”

Gayn Erickson, President and CEO of Aehr Test Systems

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Full-year revenue Sourcefiscal 2026 (full year, ends May 29, 2026)on the high side of $45 million to $50 million
Bookings Sourcesecond half of fiscal 2026 (ends May 29, 2026)high end of $60 million to $80 millionKept
Revenue Sourcesecond half of fiscal 2026 (ends May 29, 2026)$25 million to $30 millionKept
Non-GAAP net loss per diluted share Sourcesecond half of fiscal 2026 (ends May 29, 2026)$(0.09) to $(0.05)Kept
Sonoma production capacity Sourcefrom start of shipments this quartermore than 20 additional systems per monthNew

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance kept: Second-half fiscal 2026 revenue and non-GAAP EPS guidance were reiterated, not changed. Source
  • Guidance kept: Second-half bookings range was kept at $60 million to $80 million, with management now expecting the high end. Source
  • New: The company received a production WLBI order from its lead AI processor customer for multiple new fully automated FOX-XP systems. Source
  • New: The company announced a new silicon photonics customer win for a high-power FOX-XP WLBI system, with an initial order for qualification and production. Source
  • New: The lead silicon photonics customer placed a follow-on order for a new high-power system and an upgrade of an existing FOX system. Source
  • New: The hyperscale customer awarded a production win for Sonoma systems for its next-generation, higher-power AI accelerators. Source
  • New: Sonoma shipments will begin from a newly upgraded contract manufacturing facility, a source not described in the prior period. Source

Quarter results and growth drivers

  • Revenue rose from prior quarter: Net revenue was $10.3 million, down from $18.3 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2025 and up from $9.9 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2026. Source
  • Net loss widened year over year: GAAP net loss was $(3.2) million, or $(0.10) per diluted share, against a $(0.6) million loss, or $(0.02) per share, a year earlier. Non-GAAP net loss was $(1.5) million, or $(0.05) per share. Source
  • Nine-month revenue fell year over year: For the first nine months, revenue was $31.2 million against $44.9 million. GAAP net loss was $(8.5) million, or $(0.28) per diluted share. Source

Bookings and order book

  • Bookings and book-to-bill ratio: Bookings were $37.2 million in the quarter, a book-to-bill ratio above 3.5x. Management ties this to demand across WLBI and PLBI applications. Source
  • Backlog and effective backlog: Backlog at February 27, 2026 was $38.7 million. Including bookings received after that date, effective backlog was $50.9 million. Source

“Demand continues to accelerate across both WLBI and PLBI as semiconductor devices grow in size, complexity, and power and are increasingly deployed in mission-critical AI, networking, automotive, and industrial applications.”

Gayn Erickson, President and CEO of Aehr Test Systems

Wafer-level burn-in and silicon photonics

  • AI processor production WLBI order: The lead AI processor customer ordered multiple new fully automated FOX-XP systems for data center training and inference devices. Source
  • New silicon photonics customer win: A new customer developing silicon photonics transceivers for data center networking placed an initial order for FOX systems for qualification and production. Source
  • Silicon photonics follow-on order: The lead silicon photonics customer ordered a new high-power system and upgraded an existing FOX system to the latest high-power, fully automated configuration. Source
  • WLBI for advanced packages: Management says screening devices before packaging is cheaper than burning them in at package level, where a failure discards the whole multi-chip package. Source

Package-level burn-in and Sonoma systems

  • Next-generation Sonoma production win: The lead hyperscale customer awarded a Sonoma production win for next-generation, higher-power AI accelerators. Its first ASIC processor is already ramping on Sonoma systems. Source
  • Other hyperscale and AI engagements: Management said it is in new sales discussions with other hyperscale companies, AI accelerator and CPU companies, edge AI suppliers, and foundries and test houses for Sonoma. Source

“We believe Aehr is uniquely positioned to capitalize on this trend with both proven WLBI and PLBI solutions that enable our customers to cost-effectively qualify and screen their most advanced semiconductor devices.”

Gayn Erickson, President and CEO of Aehr Test Systems

Costs, margins and spending

  • Gross profit rose from prior quarter: Gross profit was $3.4 million against $2.5 million in the second quarter. Non-GAAP gross profit was $3.8 million, against $3.0 million in that quarter. Source
  • Research and development and SG&A: R&D expense was $3.2 million, up from $3.0 million in the prior quarter. SG&A was $4.4 million, flat with the prior quarter and below $5.2 million a year earlier. Source
  • Operating loss lower than prior quarter: Loss from operations was $(4.2) million, compared with $(4.6) million in the second quarter and $(1.1) million a year earlier. Source

Cash, balance sheet and capital

  • Cash rose with offering proceeds: Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash was $37.1 million, up from $31.0 million at November 28, 2025, with equity offering proceeds received in the period. Source
  • Operating cash use over nine months: Cash used in operating activities was $5.1 million for the first nine months. Nine-month proceeds from the public offering of common stock were $19.6 million. Source
  • Capital spending and acquisition payments: Nine-month property and equipment purchases were $1.9 million, against $2.2 million a year earlier. Business acquisition payments were $1.8 million, against $11.1 million. Source
  • Shares outstanding rose: Shares outstanding were 30,954 thousand at February 27, 2026, up from 29,877 thousand at May 30, 2025. Source

Capacity and strategy

  • Capacity scaling for demand: Management said it is continuing to scale manufacturing capacity, after adding substantial capacity at Fremont over the past year. Source
  • Burn-in use widening across devices: Management said burn-in is becoming more important across a widening range of devices and end markets, and that it sees Aehr as uniquely positioned to address this. Source
  • Silicon photonics multiyear expansion view: Management said the silicon photonics win positions Aehr to take part in a possible multiyear expansion of production driven by fiber optic interconnects in hyperscale AI data centers. Source

Coming up, as management said on 7 April 2026

  • Sonoma shipments from contract facility: Sonoma shipments are expected to begin this quarter from the upgraded contract manufacturing facility. Source
  • Lead hyperscale follow-on production order: Management expects a significant near-term follow-on production order from its lead hyperscale PLBI customer, with systems to ship during fiscal 2027. Source
  • Additional orders expected this quarter: Management cites a strong funnel of additional orders it expects this quarter, following second-half bookings received so far. Source
  • Exit year with backlog, growth in fiscal 2027: Management says it expects to end the fiscal year ending May 29 with a backlog it describes as strong, and to deliver revenue growth in fiscal 2027. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Bookings Source$37.2 million
Book-to-bill ratio Sourceover 3.5x
Backlog Source$38.7 million
Effective backlog Source$50.9 million
Sonoma capacity from contract facility Sourcemore than 20 additional systems per month

Risks management discussed

  • Operational: Management is adding manufacturing capacity to meet anticipated demand, which depends on scaling both the Fremont site and the contract facility for Sonoma. Source
  • Demand: Management describes a large follow-on production order from the lead hyperscale PLBI customer as expected, not as received, so timing of fiscal 2027 shipments depends on it. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Not stated: Management says it now expects second-half bookings at the high end of the range it gave last quarter. Source
  • Not stated: Management says it is reiterating the second-half guidance it gave previously. Source
  • Not stated: Management says full-year revenue is expected at the high side of the range it provided last quarter. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.