▌Top Stocks · CUSTOM AI CHIPS·Updated September 30, 2026
Custom AI Chips Stocks to Own in September 2026: 3 Names
A countdown of custom AI chip exposure across ASIC designers, networking specialists, and the broader AI infrastructure stack, featuring Marvell and Broadcom.
Top Stocks · CUSTOM AI CHIPSUpdated September 30, 2026
Custom AI chips have become one of the market’s clearest picks-and-shovels themes. Hyperscalers and model builders are increasingly evaluating bespoke silicon as a way to lower inference costs, improve power efficiency, and reduce dependence on premium off-the-shelf accelerators. That makes the companies designing, connecting, manufacturing, or competing with those chips important beneficiaries of the AI infrastructure buildout. The opportunity is no longer confined to experimental projects: large platform companies are treating silicon strategy as a core part of their computing roadmaps.
Three forces support the theme: rapidly expanding AI compute demand, data-center power constraints that raise the value of efficient designs, and a greater willingness by cloud companies to co-design chips with specialist suppliers. Investors should distinguish among custom ASIC designers and co-design partners, hyperscaler in-house programs, and the manufacturing and packaging ecosystem. Broadcom’s forecast of more than $100 billion in AI chip sales by 2027 and Meta’s plan to begin manufacturing its own AI chip in September 2026 illustrate how quickly custom silicon is moving toward strategic necessity.
The three stocks below cover different parts of that transition, from custom silicon and data-center connectivity to the broader accelerated-computing platform. They are presented in countdown order, beginning with rank #3 and ending with the best pick at #1. The result is a compact way to compare theme exposure with growth, profitability, valuation, and recent earnings execution.
The screen is limited to U.S.-listed companies with market capitalizations above $500 million and meaningful exposure to custom AI chips or the surrounding AI infrastructure stack. Ranking first emphasizes depth of exposure to the theme, followed by business fundamentals, including growth, profitability, valuation, earnings execution, and composite quality metrics. This is a countdown: the strongest overall candidate is intentionally reserved for #1 at the end. Figures reflect the latest primary-source financial data and market information available for the September 2026 refresh.
What they do. The company provides data-infrastructure semiconductor solutions spanning the data-center core to the network edge. Its portfolio includes Ethernet controllers, adapters and switches, processors, custom application-specific integrated circuits, interconnect products, fiber-channel and storage solutions, PCIe and CXL switches, and newer scale-up networking products; it sells through direct customers and distributors. That breadth gives Marvell a broad co-design and connectivity position rather than relying on a single chip category.
Why it fits. Marvell has direct exposure to the custom-chip layer through its application-specific integrated circuits, while its interconnect, optical, Ethernet, retimer, and scale-up networking products address the communication bottlenecks around AI accelerators. That combination matters as hyperscalers build specialized silicon but still need high-bandwidth links, switching, and data-center connectivity to make those systems useful at scale.
Numbers that matter. Marvell reported $9.45 billion in revenue and $2.85 billion in EBITDA, with a 52.2% gross margin, 16.68% operating margin, and 27.93% net margin. Revenue growth was 36.5% year over year, while earnings growth was 50%; EPS for the trailing twelve months was $3.16 and the next-year estimate is $3.3913. The trade-off is valuation: the trailing P/E is 83.3133 and the forward P/E is 62.1118, considerably demanding for a company whose composite grade is B.
Recent momentum. Marvell’s latest reported quarter, dated August 27, 2026, produced EPS of $0.62 versus an estimated $0.65, a 4.6% miss. It has nevertheless beaten estimates in 6 of the last 8 quarters, including EPS of $0.80 versus $0.79 in both May and March 2026. The analyst breakdown shows 9 Buy ratings and 5 Holds, with an average target of $290.97, suggesting constructive sentiment despite the recent miss and elevated valuation.
What they do. Broadcom operates across Semiconductor Solutions and Infrastructure Software. Its semiconductor portfolio includes custom silicon, Ethernet switching and routing, network-interface controllers, physical-layer devices, fiber-optic components, PCIe switches, and server and storage connectivity; its software portfolio includes private-cloud, cybersecurity, mainframe, and enterprise products. This combination gives Broadcom revenue exposure to both infrastructure hardware and recurring software categories, while its broad connectivity portfolio supports large-scale data-center deployments.
Why it fits. Broadcom is one of the most direct public-market expressions of the custom AI chip opportunity because custom silicon is explicitly part of its networking and connectivity offering. Its Ethernet switching, routing, NIC, fiber-optic, and PCIe products also address the networking layer that hyperscalers need when bespoke accelerators are deployed across increasingly dense AI systems. The company therefore participates in both the chip-design relationship and the surrounding data-movement infrastructure.
Numbers that matter. Broadcom generated $89.10 billion in revenue and $52.26 billion in EBITDA. Its 75.5% gross margin, 54.31% operating margin, and 42.94% net margin show unusually strong economics for a large semiconductor and infrastructure-software company. Revenue grew 85.5% year over year and earnings grew 215.3%, while the forward P/E is 19.4175 versus a trailing P/E of 45.7603. The composite grade is B, with strong profitability signals offset by valuation and balance-sheet concerns in the broader scorecard.
Recent momentum. Broadcom’s September 2, 2026 quarter was another strong execution point: EPS was $3.03 against an estimate of $2.83, a 7.1% beat. The company has exceeded estimates in all 8 of the last 8 reported quarters, including a 1.7% beat in June 2026. Analysts show 7 Buy ratings and 3 Holds, with an average target of $531.85; the composite recommendation is Neutral despite the company’s exceptional recent growth and earnings consistency.
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The universe is restricted to U.S.-listed companies with market capitalizations above $500 million and identifiable exposure to custom AI chips, AI acceleration, networking, interconnects, or related infrastructure. Companies are ranked first by depth and directness of exposure to the custom-chip theme, then by business fundamentals such as revenue and earnings growth, margins, return metrics, valuation, earnings surprises, analyst sentiment, and composite quality grade. The presentation uses a countdown from #3 to #1, with the best overall pick last. The list is refreshed monthly, so valuation, consensus estimates, earnings results, and market capitalization can change between editions.
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