Credo Technology Group (NASDAQ:CRDO) reported record fiscal first-quarter 2027 revenue of $479 million, up 10% sequentially and 115% from a year earlier, as demand for AI infrastructure connectivity products continued to expand.
Chief Executive Officer Bill Brennan said the company’s growth has been supported by rising AI cluster sizes, faster data rates and increasing requirements for reliable, power-efficient connectivity. Credo recorded its seventh consecutive quarter of triple-digit year-over-year revenue growth, according to management.
Profitability and second-quarter outlook
Chief Financial Officer Dan Fleming said non-GAAP gross margin was 68% in the first quarter, while non-GAAP operating income totaled $230.6 million and non-GAAP operating margin was 48.2%.
Non-GAAP net income reached a record $236.3 million, up 4% sequentially and more than doubling from the prior-year period. Non-GAAP net margin was 49.3%.
Cash flow from operations was $90.2 million, while capital expenditures were $7.3 million, resulting in free cash flow of $82.9 million. The company ended the quarter with $764.3 million in cash and equivalents, down $679 million from the prior quarter primarily because of the cash outlay for its DustPhotonics acquisition. Ending inventory rose $62.2 million sequentially to $313.1 million.
For the fiscal second quarter, Credo forecast:
- Revenue of $525 million to $535 million.
- Non-GAAP gross margin of 67% to 69%.
- Non-GAAP operating expenses of $100 million to $105 million.
- Diluted weighted-average share count of about 200 million shares.
Fleming said the outlook is based on the current tariff regime, which he described as fluid. For fiscal 2027, the company continues to expect more than 85% year-over-year total revenue growth, non-GAAP gross margin broadly in line with fiscal 2026 levels, and non-GAAP net margin near 50%.
Optics targeted as a new growth engine
Management reiterated its expectation for more than $600 million in optical revenue during fiscal 2027. The company expects its optical digital signal processors, silicon photonics PICs and ZeroFlap Optics offerings to each contribute more than $100 million during the year.
Credo’s optical DSP business generated record first-quarter revenue, including deployments of 50G- and 100G-per-lane products. Brennan said the company expects initial 1.6T DSP revenue later in fiscal 2027 and sees a continuing market for 800G ports during the transition to higher speeds.
The company also recognized its first silicon photonics PIC revenue following the DustPhotonics acquisition. Initial wins are in 800G and 1.6T optical transceivers, with products expected to ramp through the year. Brennan said the first two major DustPhotonics-related design wins do not include Credo DSPs, leaving potential for combined DSP and PIC sales over time.
Credo is also pursuing near-package optics, or NPO, for scale-up networks, where management expects denser form factors will be needed. The company joined an Open Compute Project MSA consortium and expects confirmed NPO design wins to begin ramping in fiscal 2028. Brennan said Credo plans to lead with silicon photonics PICs in NPO-related opportunities while also considering complete optical-engine offerings over the longer term.
ZeroFlap, AEC and emerging products
Production shipments of ZeroFlap Optics are underway, with additional customer ramps expected in fiscal 2027 across 800G and 1.6T products for hyperscalers and neo clouds. The offering combines optical hardware, Credo’s PILOT software platform and switch-level software development kit integration to monitor link health and identify potential instability.
Brennan said the system is designed to identify deteriorating link conditions before a failure occurs, allowing customers to mitigate issues. He said telemetry can track measures including eye height, signal-to-noise ratio and post-forward-error-correction histograms, and can also help identify potential electrostatic-discharge damage or dust-related fiber issues.
Active electrical cables remained Credo’s largest business and continued to grow, supported by relationships with five hyperscalers and expanding neo cloud engagement. The company expects higher data rates, including a move toward 200G per lane and 1.6T ports, to provide another growth driver. Brennan said AEC contributions at 1.6T should begin in the second half of fiscal 2027 and become more significant in fiscal 2028.
Retimer revenue also reached a record in the first quarter, driven primarily by scale-up deployments of the Screaming Eagle product at 100G per lane and initial contributions from Blue Heron at 200G per lane.
Looking further ahead, Credo plans to demonstrate Active LED Cable solutions at OFC in October and remains on track for initial revenue in fiscal 2028. The company also expects OmniConnect SerDes and Weaver Gearbox solutions, aimed at memory bandwidth and capacity constraints in AI inference systems, to begin contributing revenue in fiscal 2028.
Customer concentration and investment
Credo’s four largest customers represented 33%, 28%, 13% and 10% of first-quarter revenue, respectively, Fleming said. Management expects three to four customers to account for more than 10% of revenue in coming quarters while continuing to diversify across hyperscalers, neo clouds and other customers.
First-quarter non-GAAP operating expenses rose 16% sequentially to $95.2 million, exceeding the company’s guidance range because of research-and-development investment. For the full fiscal year, Credo expects operating expenses to rise about 55% year over year, below its anticipated revenue growth rate, as it funds new product development and broader market opportunities.
About Credo Technology Group (NASDAQ:CRDO)
Credo Technology Group, Inc (NASDAQ: CRDO) is a fabless semiconductor company that develops high‑speed connectivity solutions for cloud, enterprise and telecommunications infrastructure. The company focuses on semiconductors and related IP that enable reliable, low‑latency movement of large volumes of data between servers, switches and optical modules in data centers and network equipment.
Credo’s product portfolio centers on high‑speed analog and mixed‑signal devices designed to preserve signal integrity and extend reach over copper and optical links.
