Shares of Aehr Test Systems (NASDAQ:AEHR) climbed 15.9% in premarket trading on Thursday after the company disclosed a follow-on production order from its lead silicon photonics customer for a fully automated FOX-XP wafer-level burn-in system.
The announced system is intended to support high-volume production burn-in for silicon photonics devices that will be used in AI optical interconnect and hyperscale data center applications. Configured to test as many as nine 300mm wafers in parallel, the FOX-XP system includes the fully automated FOX WaferPak AutoAligner. When integrated with an automated wafer handler, the AutoAligner allows hands-free operation, enabling continuous, unattended burn-in processing.
The customer placing the order is developing silicon photonics components aimed at next-generation optical interconnects and optical I/O architectures for hyperscale AI and cloud data centers. According to Aehr, these silicon photonics devices are designed to provide higher bandwidth and lower power communications between AI processors, memory, switches, and networking equipment.
Earlier in the company’s timeline, the customer took delivery of its first FOX-XP production system in fiscal 2026. Aehr said that initial system has been successfully installed and demonstrated fully automated operation while integrated with the customer’s automated wafer handling equipment.
Gayn Erickson, President and CEO of Aehr Test Systems, framed the delivery and follow-on order as a milestone in the relationship with the lead customer. Erickson said: "The successful installation and production qualification of our first fully-automated system with this customer represents another important milestone in our long-term relationship with them."
On the new order Erickson added: "We are very pleased to receive this additional follow-on production order early in our new fiscal year. We believe this order reflects the customer’s continued confidence in Aehr’s FOX-XP platform and represents an encouraging start to fiscal 2027."
In its statement, Aehr also noted that demand for silicon photonics is continuing to accelerate in tandem with the expansion of hyperscale AI infrastructure. The company said that major technology companies are increasingly adopting optical interconnect technologies to address bandwidth, latency, and power limitations inherent to traditional electrical interconnects.
Context limitations - The company’s announcement details the configuration and intended application of the ordered FOX-XP system and references the successful installation of the customer’s first system in fiscal 2026, but it does not disclose order size, financial terms, or the expected timing for revenue recognition tied to this follow-on order.