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Astera Labs, Inc.: Q4 FY2025 earnings call

What management said about Q4 FY2025, from the documents filed with the SEC on 10 February 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 6 new. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Record fourth-quarter revenue, up 17%: Revenue reached $270.6 million, up 17% from the third quarter and 92% from a year earlier. The release calls this a record quarterly level. Source
  • Full-year revenue up 115%: Revenue for 2025 was $852.5 million, up from $396.3 million in 2024. GAAP net income was $219.1 million and GAAP diluted EPS was $1.22. Source
  • First-quarter 2026 revenue range: Revenue for the first quarter of 2026 is estimated between $286 million and $297 million. Source
  • Scorpio X-Series ramp started: Production ramp began for Scorpio X-Series solutions on a lead platform. The Smart Fabric Switch roadmap was expanded with hyperscaler customers for scale-up networking. Source
  • Non-GAAP operating margin declined: Non-GAAP operating margin was 40.2%, against 41.7% in the third quarter. GAAP operating margin rose to 24.7% from 24.0%. Source
  • Customer momentum cited for investment: Management said early platform deployments and customer momentum support accelerating investment to target the merchant scale-up switching market. Source
  • R&D investment accelerated: Management said it is accelerating R&D investment, including a new design center in Israel, citing customer momentum and revenue prospects. Source

“Astera Labs delivered strong financial results in Q4 with revenue growing by 17% sequentially to a new record level of $270.6 million, highlighting a stellar 2025 with full-year revenue growth of 115% year-over-year,”

Jitendra Mohan, Chief Executive Officer

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Revenue Sourcefirst quarter of fiscal 2026$286 million to $297 millionNew
Gross margin (GAAP and non-GAAP) Sourcefirst quarter of fiscal 2026approximately 74%New
Operating expenses (GAAP and non-GAAP) Sourcefirst quarter of fiscal 2026GAAP $155 million to $161 million; non-GAAP $112 million to $118 millionNew
Tax rate (GAAP and non-GAAP) Sourcefirst quarter of fiscal 2026GAAP approximately 1%; non-GAAP approximately 12%New
Diluted EPS (GAAP and non-GAAP) Sourcefirst quarter of fiscal 2026GAAP $0.36 to $0.38; non-GAAP $0.53 to $0.54New
Weighted-average diluted shares Sourcefirst quarter of fiscal 2026approximately 184 millionNew

What changed from last quarter

  • New guidance: Guidance was given for the first quarter of 2026. The prior release gave estimates only for the fourth quarter of 2025. Source
  • New: Scorpio X-Series production ramp started for a lead platform, with the Smart Fabric Switch roadmap expanded alongside hyperscaler customers. Source
  • New: A new Israel Design Center was opened, led by Guy Azrad. Source
  • New: Leo CXL Smart Memory Controllers were announced so customers can evaluate CXL memory expansion. Source
  • New: Custom connectivity products for NVLink Fusion were added to the product portfolio. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Record fourth-quarter revenue, up 17%: Revenue reached $270.6 million, up 17% from the third quarter and 92% from a year earlier. The release calls this a record quarterly level. Source
  • Full-year revenue up 115%: Revenue for 2025 was $852.5 million, up from $396.3 million in 2024. GAAP net income was $219.1 million and GAAP diluted EPS was $1.22. Source
  • Fourth-quarter EPS compared with third quarter: GAAP diluted EPS was $0.25, against $0.50 in the third quarter. Non-GAAP pro forma diluted EPS was $0.58, against $0.49. Source
  • First-quarter 2026 revenue range: Revenue for the first quarter of 2026 is estimated between $286 million and $297 million. Source

Products and customers

  • Scorpio X-Series ramp started: Production ramp began for Scorpio X-Series solutions on a lead platform. The Smart Fabric Switch roadmap was expanded with hyperscaler customers for scale-up networking. Source
  • Scorpio roadmap feature additions: The Scorpio X-Series roadmap adds increased radix, platform-specific protocols, in-network computing, Hypercast technology and optical connectivity features. Source
  • Custom NVLink Fusion connectivity added: Custom connectivity products for NVLink Fusion were added. They are built with hyperscaler partners to optimize system performance, energy efficiency and cost across AI workloads. Source
  • Leo CXL memory controllers announced: Leo CXL Smart Memory Controllers let customers evaluate CXL memory expansion, with the first announced CXL-attached memory deployment in Microsoft Azure M-series virtual machines; each supports up to 2TB. Source

“Considering the strong customer momentum and revenue opportunities, Astera Labs is accelerating R&D investment, including opening a new design center in Israel to further capitalize on this high-growth market opportunity.”

Jitendra Mohan, Chief Executive Officer

Costs and operating expenses

  • R&D expense rose in the quarter: R&D expense was $93.8 million in the fourth quarter, up from $78.9 million in the third quarter. For 2025 it was $304.0 million, against $200.8 million in 2024. Source
  • Stock-based compensation held steady: Stock-based compensation was $41.4 million in the fourth quarter and $40.7 million in the third quarter. The full-year total was $160.0 million. Source
  • Acquisition costs excluded from non-GAAP: Acquisition-related costs were $0.6 million in the fourth quarter and $0.95 million for the year. They were excluded from non-GAAP operating income. Source

Margins and tax

  • Gross margin declined slightly: GAAP gross margin was 75.6% in the fourth quarter, against 76.2% in the third quarter. Non-GAAP gross margin was 75.7%, against 76.4%. Source
  • Non-GAAP operating margin declined: Non-GAAP operating margin was 40.2%, against 41.7% in the third quarter. GAAP operating margin rose to 24.7% from 24.0%. Source
  • Tax moved to an expense: The income tax provision was $33.9 million in the fourth quarter, against a $24.3 million benefit in the third quarter. The full year showed a $1.0 million benefit. Source
  • Non-GAAP tax rate for the year: The non-GAAP tax expense rate was 12.7% for 2025 and 6.9% for 2024, according to the release footnote. Source

Demand and customer momentum

  • Customer momentum cited for investment: Management said early platform deployments and customer momentum support accelerating investment to target the merchant scale-up switching market. Source
  • Scale-up switching market sized: Management estimates the merchant scale-up switching market will reach $20 billion annually by 2030. Source
  • Receivables rose sharply: Accounts receivable were $83.2 million at December 31, 2025, against $42.9 million at September 30, 2025 and $38.8 million a year earlier. Source

Cash, balance sheet and capital

  • Operating cash flow for 2025: Net cash provided by operating activities was $319.3 million for 2025, against $136.7 million in 2024. Purchases of property and equipment were $37.5 million. Source
  • Cash and securities on hand: Cash and cash equivalents were $167.6 million and marketable securities were $1,021.2 million at December 31, 2025. Source
  • Business combination payments: Payments for business combinations, net of cash acquired, were $28.8 million in 2025. Source
  • Net financing inflow from employee plans: Net financing inflow was $9.8 million, from option exercises of $1.8 million and employee stock purchase plan proceeds of $8.0 million. Source
  • Diluted share count edged up: Weighted-average diluted shares were 181.2 million in the fourth quarter, against 180.6 million in the third quarter. Source

Strategy and R&D investment

  • R&D investment accelerated: Management said it is accelerating R&D investment, including a new design center in Israel, citing customer momentum and revenue prospects. Source
  • Platform market described as growing: The CEO said the market for the Intelligent Connectivity Platform keeps growing across product lines, physical media, form factors and protocols. Source
  • Custom solutions complement standards: Custom connectivity is described as complementing the standards-based portfolio, letting customers deploy tailored architectures for their unique infrastructure needs. Source

Israel design center and memory research

  • Guy Azrad leads Israel team: Industry veteran Guy Azrad leads Astera Labs Israel, which is to focus on next-generation scale-up AI fabrics and high-bandwidth connectivity protocols. Source
  • Memory bottleneck research planned: The Israel team is to conduct technical research and development on memory bottlenecks in AI training and inference applications. Source
  • Collaboration with Israeli institutions: The design center is to act as a hub working with leading Israeli institutions and the local venture ecosystem to advance AI and cloud technologies. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Gross margin SourceGAAP 75.6%, non-GAAP 75.7% in the fourth quarter of 2025

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.