Semiconductor stocks surged on Tuesday, with the PHLX Semiconductor Index (SOXX) jumping more than 6% and helping lift the S&P 500 to a fresh record high of 7736.52. Investors closely watched stocks like Marvell Technology, Inc. MRVL, Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. AMD and Micron Technology, Inc. MU as optimism surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) continued to drive buying across the chip sector.
Marvell’s stock soared 12.8% on Tuesday as investors cheered reports of a potential U.S. ban on Chinese optical transceivers, boosting sentiment for optical networking companies. The stock also gained on optimism surrounding AI infrastructure spending, while investors closely followed developments at the Flash Memory Summit 2026 in California, where next-generation AI storage and memory technologies took center stage. MRVL carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
AMD, sporting a Zacks Rank #1, remained in focus as the company reported quarterly earnings after the closing bell. Investors positioned ahead of the results amid expectations for continued strength in its AI accelerator and data center businesses. Market participants looked for updates on AI chip demand, customer spending and the company's outlook as AMD seeks to strengthen its position in the rapidly expanding AI market. AMD’s stock had gained 7% in the session, even as the gain was wiped out after business hours as investors had been hoping for a larger guidance increase or a more dramatic AI growth outlook.
Micron, which also carries a #1, attracted strong buying interest as investors remained optimistic about sustained demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and other advanced memory products used in AI servers. With AI systems requiring significantly more memory than traditional computing platforms, Micron is widely viewed as one of the biggest beneficiaries of the ongoing AI infrastructure buildout. Its stock advanced 7.6% in the session.
The renewed interest in these stocks reflected confidence that AI-related capital spending remains resilient despite broader macroeconomic uncertainties. Recent earnings reports and corporate commentary across the technology sector have reinforced expectations that hyperscale cloud providers and enterprises will continue investing aggressively in AI infrastructure, supporting long-term demand for advanced processors and memory solutions.
The semiconductor rally lifted the broader technology sector and played a key role in sending the S&P 500 to another all-time high. While investors continue to monitor interest rates and economic conditions, Tuesday's gains highlighted the market's conviction that AI remains one of the strongest long-term growth drivers, with AMD and Micron among the companies best positioned to benefit from the trend.
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