Foxconn posted record Q4 revenue but a surprise profit miss as a higher tax bill ate into its bottom line. The company still expects strong growth ahead, driven by AI server demand.
Foxconn Chairman Young Liu (World’s leading AI server manufacturer) from 4th quarter (Q4) conference (3/16)
-AI rack shipments in the Q1 will see strong double-digit growth over Q4 (QoQ).
-2026 AI rack shipments will double, with gains each quarter
-Holds 40% market share in AI…— Dan Nystedt (@dnystedt) March 16, 2026
Q4 net profit came in at NT$45.21 billion ($1.41 billion), down 2% from a year ago. That badly missed the NT$60.88 billion consensus estimate from FactSet, and the NT$63.86 billion LSEG forecast.
Revenue told a different story — rising 22% year-on-year to NT$2.606 trillion. That was a record quarter for the company.
The gap between strong revenue and weak profit came down to one thing: taxes. A higher tax rate in the quarter hit the bottom line hard. Gross profit margin also slipped, falling to 5.88% from 6.15% a year earlier.
AI servers are now a core part of Foxconn’s business. Cloud and networking products — a category that includes AI servers — accounted for 42% of total Q4 revenue. That’s up from 41% in Q2, when the segment first overtook smart consumer electronics as the company’s biggest revenue driver.
Foxconn makes servers for Nvidia and assembles iPhones for Apple. Its factories in India now produce the bulk of iPhones sold in the U.S., while new facilities in Mexico and Texas are being built to make Nvidia AI servers.
Chairman Young Liu said on the earnings call that AI demand isn’t slowing down. “Artificial Intelligence’s strong growth was not just for this past year or two,” he said. “It will last through the next two to three years.”
Liu added that major customers expect the AI industry to reach $1 trillion in size within that timeframe. Foxconn is targeting a 40% market share in AI servers.
It was the first time the company has issued a full-year revenue outlook for 2026. Both Q1 and full-year guidance are rated “strong growth” — the highest level Foxconn assigns.
Liu didn’t leave the call without flagging one concern. “The biggest external challenge this year, in my view, is still the global political and economic situation, especially the war in the Middle East,” he said.
He did not elaborate further. Supply chain risks linked to Middle East tensions have been a recurring concern for global manufacturers.
On the consumer electronics side, Foxconn expects strong year-on-year growth in smart devices. Liu said memory shortages and price increases haven’t hurt demand much, given the company’s skew toward higher-end models.
The PC segment is a different story — Foxconn expects a year-on-year decline there in Q1.
Foxconn’s stock has dropped 6% so far in 2026, underperforming the 15% gain in Taiwan’s benchmark index.
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