Depreciation costs could lead to AI stock price declines and valuation scrutiny, according to Baird's Ted Mortonson.
AdvertisementThe lurking problem is that the useful lifetime of AI GPU chips can be a lot shorter than many expect, especially as AI chips go through an ever-accelerating innovation cycle, leading to higher-than-expected depreciation expenses that ultimately drag down profits.
For example, the bank expects Alphabet to record $28 billion in depreciation costs in 2026, which is 24% more than current consensus estimates of $22.6 billion.
AdvertisementBut even that has its limits because of how quickly Nvidia is releasing new GPU chips.
And for Mortonson, it all comes back to the return on invested AI capital.
Persons:
Ted Mortonson, —, doesn't, outlays, Ross Sandler, Baird, Morton, Sandler, Mortonson, there's
Organizations:
Barclays, Service, Companies, Nvidia, Business