ABB Rockets to Record $8.9B Quarter on 37% US Order Surge Fueled by AI Data Centers

ABB (SWX: ABB) just smashed its own records for quarterly orders, fueled by a surge in US demand and the rising need for equipment in AI-focused data centres. The Swiss engineering giant revealed on Thursday that its latest quarter brought in the largest order intake in company history.

The United States, which is ABB's biggest market, showed particular strength with orders jumping 37% in Q2. That's more than double the group-wide 14% increase. Shares responded swiftly, nudging up over 3% in early trading on the Zurich exchange.

A notable driver behind this boom: data centre projects catering to artificial intelligence workloads. Demand for ABB's products in these facilities grew by double digits during the quarter, reflecting the broader tech push to ramp up compute power and storage capacities.

U.S. firms have recently announced hefty investments into AI and energy infrastructure, a trend that dovetails with President Donald Trump's ongoing efforts to keep America at the forefront of these high-stakes industries. This momentum allowed ABB's CEO Morten Wierod to sound optimistic, even with tariffs and geopolitical issues still looming in the background.

Wierod's takeaway? "A new record year is within reach," he said, highlighting gains not only in order flow but also operational efficiency. Numbers bore that out: ABB posted an 8% revenue gain to $8.90 billion and a core operating income rise of 9% to $1.71 billion-both ahead of analyst expectations.

Net income came in at $1.15 billion, topping consensus estimates. The company also guided for mid-single-digit revenue growth in the third quarter, suggesting the AI-driven influx and US market strength aren't fading anytime soon.

ABB's results underscore the increasing importance of electrification and automation hardware as AI infrastructure scales up. For those tracking industrial suppliers tied to tech expansion, ABB's order books offer a rare glimpse at how demand for physical infrastructure is catching up with all the hype swirling around AI software.