Ambiq Q2 2026 earnings: Revenue rises 90% as gross margin expands

Ambiq Micro (NYSE: AMBQ) reported Q2 2026 net sales of $33.9 million for the quarter ended June 30, up 89.7% year over year, while GAAP diluted EPS was -$0.32 compared with -$18.89. The EPS comparison is distorted by a sharp increase in weighted-average shares, making the improvement in absolute net loss a more useful measure. Gross margin expanded, but higher research, administrative and stock-based compensation expenses absorbed much of the additional gross profit.

Core Financial Results

Ambiq attributed its revenue growth to accelerating demand for edge AI solutions across customers, end markets and products. GAAP gross profit increased faster than sales, lifting gross margin by 4.9 percentage points to 45.0%; non-GAAP gross margin also rose to 47.2% from 42.7%.

The company remained unprofitable. GAAP operating expenses increased 50.3%, leaving the operating loss almost unchanged despite the substantial revenue and gross-profit growth. Dollar figures below are in millions except margins and per-share amounts.

Weighted-average diluted shares increased to 21.7 million from approximately 450,000 a year earlier, limiting the usefulness of the year-over-year EPS comparison.

Gross Profit Growth Was Absorbed by Operating Investment

Ambiq generated approximately $8.1 million more GAAP gross profit than a year earlier, but operating expenses increased by roughly $8.0 million. As a result, the GAAP operating loss narrowed by only $70,000.

Research and development expense rose about 58.9% to $14.1 million, while selling, general and administrative expense increased about 39.4% to $9.9 million. These investments supported product development and growth priorities but prevented the revenue and margin gains from producing a larger improvement in GAAP operating results.

The sharper improvement in non-GAAP net loss partly reflects higher excluded expenses. Stock-based compensation increased to $3.6 million from $765,000, while depreciation and amortization remained near $1.8 million. GAAP net loss also benefited from other income rising to $1.6 million from $315,000.

Cash Flow and Balance Sheet

Ambiq’s cash flow statement covers the first six months of 2026 rather than Q2 alone. Six-month operating cash use increased to $20.7 million from $10.5 million, with accounts receivable and inventory consuming $10.2 million and $12.4 million of cash, respectively.

At June 30, accounts receivable stood at $17.5 million, up from $7.3 million at the end of 2025, while inventory increased to $29.4 million from $16.9 million. These increases accompanied rapid sales growth and capacity needs but weakened operating cash conversion.

Cash and equivalents rose to $366.8 million from $140.3 million at year-end, primarily because financing activities provided $253.0 million during the first half. The June public offering raised approximately $168 million in net proceeds, while the six-month cash flow statement recorded $245.5 million of proceeds from common-stock follow-on offerings, net of underwriting discounts and commissions. Period-end shares outstanding increased to 24.1 million from 18.3 million at December 31.

Q3 2026 Guidance

Ambiq expects a sixth consecutive quarter of sequential sales growth, although management said industry-wide supply availability is limiting how much demand the company can fulfill. At the revenue midpoint, Q3 sales would increase approximately 7.7% from Q2.

The outlook also calls for a substantial increase in adjusted operating expenses because of product-development, intellectual-property and strategic growth investments. That spending is expected to outweigh the near-term benefit of higher revenue and a broadly stable adjusted gross margin.

Management’s View

CEO Fumihide Esaka said Ambiq has experienced a step-change in demand since the start of 2026, supporting five consecutive quarters of growth through Q2. Management expects demand to strengthen further in the second half and said second-half sales remain on pace to more than double year over year.

At the same time, Ambiq and the wider semiconductor industry face supply constraints. The company is working to expand capacity while continuing to invest in its edge AI software stack and product development, but the Q3 expense guidance shows that these initiatives will add near-term pressure to profitability.

Recent Insider Transactions

The supplied transaction records show five zero-value director stock awards on June 8, two reported stock sales and three derivative conversions in May and June. These entries are presented objectively and do not, by themselves, establish insiders’ views on Ambiq’s outlook.

Risks Investors Should Monitor

• Supply constraints: Management said industry-wide supply availability is already limiting Q3 revenue, creating a gap between customer demand and shipments.
• Continued expense growth: Q3 non-GAAP operating expense is expected to rise materially from Q2, which could widen adjusted losses even if sales continue growing.
• Working-capital pressure: Higher receivables and inventory contributed to a near doubling of six-month operating cash use.
• Equity dilution: Ambiq’s stronger cash position was primarily financed through stock offerings, and period-end shares outstanding increased substantially from December 2025.

Summary

Ambiq’s Q2 2026 results showed rapid edge AI-driven sales growth and meaningful gross-margin expansion, but operating investment absorbed almost all of the additional GAAP gross profit. The balance sheet now provides substantial financial flexibility following equity offerings, although operating cash use and dilution increased. The next quarter will test whether Ambiq can sustain sequential revenue growth while managing supply limitations and a planned step-up in operating expenses.