5 Best Performing Semiconductor Stocks So Far in 2026

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1. MaxLinear Inc. (NASDAQ:MXL)

Year-to-Date Performance: 429.78%

MaxLinear Inc. (NASDAQ:MXL) is one of the best performing semiconductor stocks so far in 2026. On April 30, MaxLinear announced the availability of its Washington transimpedance amplifier/TIA, a four-lane, 200G per lane component engineered for 1.6T optical transceiver modules. Fabricated using silicon-germanium/SiGe process technology, the TIA provides a low-power, low-noise linear analog front end designed to support the signal integrity and bandwidth scaling demands of next-generation AI data center clusters.

The Washington TIA features a typical power consumption of approximately 750 mW across four channels and includes integrated programmable automatic gain control, photodiode bias, and a per-channel received signal strength indicator. It is pad-compatible with leading market photodetectors to simplify module integration and is designed to interoperate with all major PAM4 DSPs, offering deep co-optimization when paired with MaxLinear’s Rushmore DSP platform.

This release expands MaxLinear Inc.’s (NASDAQ:MXL) broader data center connectivity portfolio, which includes the Keystone DSP platform for 400G/800G applications and the Annapurna copper DSP. Washington is the first in a planned family of low-noise TIAs targeting fully retimed, half-retimed, and linear interfaces (including LPO/LRO and CPO). Samples are currently available, with mass production scheduled for H2 2026.

MaxLinear Inc. (NASDAQ:MXL) provides communications systems-on-chip solutions in the US, Asia, Europe, and internationally. It serves electronics distributors, module makers, OEMs, and original design manufacturers.

While we acknowledge the potential of MXL to grow, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than MXL and that has 100x upside potential, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

READ NEXT: 10 Best Performing S&P 500 Stocks So Far in 2026 and 10 Worst Performing NASDAQ Stocks So Far in 2026.

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