Why Advanced Micro Devices Stock Surged This Week

A major host-infrastructure deal with Google Cloud, alongside expanding data center demand, sent Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ:AMD) soaring 19% this week.

Advanced Micro Devices stock changed hands at $534.06 as of Friday's close, adding about 19% from Friday, Nov. 6's close. Over the same period, the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX:^GSPC) rose 2.5%, and the Nasdaq-100 was up 2.4%.

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Data center wins and cloud deals drive market momentum

The rally gained traction after AI cloud provider CoreWeave reported strong quarterly results and raised its 2026 capital expenditure guidance to $37 billion to $39 billion, increasing the lower end of the range. That massive infrastructure spending plan reassures investors that tech companies continue buying data center processors at a rapid pace. At the same time, Google Cloud announced that AMD's 5th Gen EPYC server processors will power the host infrastructure for its new confidential computing systems, reinforcing AMD's market share gains in enterprise computing.

Advanced Micro Devices designs computer processors and graphics chips and sells data center servers and PC components to cloud providers and computer manufacturers that build high-performance systems. The company's EPYC line of server microprocessors powers cloud data centers, while its Instinct graphics processors handle complex artificial intelligence workloads. Winning major cloud deployments expands AMD's addressable market beyond traditional personal computers and positions its hardware at the foundation of modern cloud infrastructure.

In its last reported quarter, which ended Sept. 26, 2026, AMD generated $13.4 billion in revenue, up 45% year over year, while data center sales nearly doubled to $8.5 billion. Fresh data center deals and competitive shifts invert concerns over market share losses, establishing AMD as an indispensable alternative supplier for large-scale artificial intelligence infrastructure.

High expectations leave little room for error

AMD stock trades at a trailing price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 117.6. That rich valuation reflects high market expectations for sustained earnings growth as cloud providers ramp up processor orders.

Investors will closely watch Nvidia's upcoming quarterly report and AMD's next earnings release on Feb. 2, 2027, to confirm whether data center hardware demand maintains its trajectory. Any slowdown in hyperscaler capital budgets could quickly compress AMD's elevated valuation multiple.

Is AMD stock a buy?

Investors tracking the AI sector were shocked this week by revelations about sector leader Nvidia and its former CEO, Jensen Huang. The tumultuous news impacted chip stocks like AMD all week. AMD could be viewed as a beneficiary of Nvidia's problems, and AMD stock was up as much as 30% at its peak this week.

But company-specific fundamentals also drove the results this week, and that's where long-term investors should focus. The AI build-out should ultimately survive the turbulence driven by Nvidia this week, and investors will be listening closely to what the company says when it reports its quarterly results next week.

If investors expect data center momentum to continue, AMD should remain a stock to own as an aggressive holding in a portfolio. While its valuation is high, the sector's growth rate could still justify it. And the company could also benefit from Nvidia's internal woes.

Operational missteps will always be a risk, but AMD appears well positioned to capitalize on growth in the AI sector now more than ever.

Howard Smith has positions in Nvidia and has the following options: short January 2027 $160 puts on Nvidia. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Advanced Micro Devices and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.