SanDisk Corp. (SNDK  ) said artificial intelligence is fundamentally changing how it works with customers, with CEO David Goeckeler describing a shift from short-term pricing negotiations to long-term strategic partnerships as demand for AI infrastructure accelerates. From Quarterly Price Talks To Long-Term Strategy

During the chipmaker's fourth-quarter earnings call, Goeckeler said discussions with customers have moved beyond procurement teams and now involve the CEOs and CFOs of some of the world's largest companies as AI infrastructure becomes a strategic priority.

"This used to be, quite frankly, just a supply chain conversation every quarter in a price negotiation 7×24," Goeckeler said, adding that SanDisk is now playing a "highly strategic" role in helping customers build AI infrastructure.

Customers Already Returning For More AI Capacity

The shift has also translated into longer visibility and repeat demand.

SanDisk's largest customers have already returned to expand their multi-year agreements just one quarter after signing them, reinforcing the company's confidence in long-term AI-driven demand.

The company now has more than four years of visibility into customer commitments, compared with just a few months a year ago.

"We spent a lot of time over the last 2 or 3 quarters really working very, very deeply with our largest customers on committing demand over. We have over 4 years of visibility now," Goeckeler added.

Results And Outlook

SanDisk reported fourth-quarter adjusted earnings of $39.25 per share, beating analyst estimates of $34.45 per share, according to Benzinga Pro.

Revenue rose to $8.97 billion, ahead of analyst expectations of $8.39 billion and up sharply from $1.9 billion a year earlier.

For the first quarter of fiscal 2027, the company expects revenue of $10.3 billion to $10.8 billion and adjusted earnings of $44.00 to $46.00 per share, compared with analyst estimates of $10.37 billion in revenue and $41.45 per share in adjusted earnings.

Price Action: SanDisk shares ended Wednesday down 5.40% at $1,350.50 and slid a further 7.96% to $1,243 in after-hours trading following the earnings report.

Benzinga edge rankings show SNDK has a Momentum score in the 99th percentile and a value score in the 8th percentile.