CRWV vs SMCI: CoreWeave vs Super Micro Computer Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
CoreWeave is a GPU cloud services company that buys GPU servers (sometimes from Supermicro) and monetizes them as cloud capacity, while Supermicro is a GPU server hardware manufacturer whose revenues depend on selling the physical infrastructure. They are complementary players in the AI infrastructure stack but have very different business models and risk profiles.
CRWV vs SMCI is cloud GPU services recurring revenue versus AI server hardware unit economics — CoreWeave monetizes GPU fleets as a service with contracted backlog; Supermicro earns hardware margins on GPU server sales and benefits most when NVIDIA GPU demand peaks.
CRWV and SMCI are closely matched — they split the tracked metrics evenly. CRWV has delivered stronger 1-year price return (-39.95% vs -43.97%), though SMCI has the better forward P/E setup (8.78x vs -68.07x for CRWV). Analyst consensus implies meaningfully more upside for CRWV (+77.57%) than for SMCI (+34.13%).
- →prefer recurring cloud services revenue over hardware unit sales cycles
- →want AI infrastructure exposure with contracted revenue backlog visibility
- →are comfortable with leverage used to finance GPU fleet buildout
- →believe pure-play GPU cloud will sustain premium pricing vs hardware vendor alternatives
- →want hardware exposure to AI data center buildout without cloud services leverage
- →believe Supermicro's liquid cooling and NVIDIA time-to-market lead are durable advantages
- →are comfortable with accounting remediation risk and thin hardware margins
- →prefer lower price-to-sales multiples than cloud companies with direct GPU server revenue
| Metric | CRWV | SMCI |
|---|---|---|
| AI score | 47.8 | 61.4 |
| AI rank | #626 | #184 |
| Latest close | $79.49 | $27.86 |
| 1M return | -20.94% | -8.52% |
| 6M return | -11.61% | -7.49% |
| 1Y return | -39.95% | -43.97% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | CRWV | SMCI |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $6K (-40.0%) started 2025-07-14 | $5.6K (-44.0%) started 2025-07-14 |
| 5Y ago | $19.87K (+98.7%) started 2025-03-28 | $80.89K (+708.9%) started 2021-07-14 |
| 10Y ago | $19.87K (+98.7%) started 2025-03-28 | $106.56K (+965.6%) started 2016-07-14 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | CRWV | SMCI |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $43.37B | $18.03B |
| Trailing P/E | N/A | 14.67 |
| Forward P/E | -68.07 | 8.78 |
| Price/Sales | 6.96 | 0.53 |
| EV/Revenue | 12.58 | 0.73 |
| Analyst target | $141.15 | $37.38 |
| Target upside | +77.57% | +34.13% |
| Metric | CRWV | SMCI |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth | 111.60% | 122.70% |
| Earnings growth | N/A | 326.00% |
| EPS growth | N/A | +326.00% |
| FCF margin | -137.47% | -22.10% |
| Operating margin | N/A | N/A |
| Profit margin | -25.57% | 3.70% |
| ROIC proxy | -40.67% | 17.88% |
| Return on equity | -40.67% | 17.88% |
| Dividend yield | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Beta | 2.88 | 1.94 |
| Debt/equity | 738.54 | 120.80 |
| Current ratio | 0.32 | 2.65 |
| Quick ratio | 0.25 | 1.20 |
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | CRWV | SMCI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growth | -39.95% | -43.97% |
| CAGR | -39.97% | -43.99% | |
| Sharpe ratio | -0.12 | -0.26 | |
| Max drawdown | 56.61% | 66.18% | |
| Max daily drop | 20.83% | 33.32% | |
| Max wkly drop | 37.55% | 38.27% | |
| 5Y | Growth | +98.72% | +708.85% |
| CAGR | +69.95% | +51.91% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.98 | 0.86 | |
| Max drawdown | 64.84% | 84.84% | |
| Max daily drop | 20.83% | 33.32% | |
| Max wkly drop | 37.55% | 45.45% | |
| 10Y | Growth | +98.72% | +965.58% |
| CAGR | +69.95% | +26.70% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.98 | 0.63 | |
| Max drawdown | 64.84% | 84.84% | |
| Max daily drop | 20.83% | 41.12% | |
| Max wkly drop | 37.55% | 45.45% |
| Category | CRWV | SMCI |
|---|---|---|
| Company | CoreWeave, Inc. | Super Micro Computer, Inc. |
| Sector | Technology | Technology |
| Industry | N/A | N/A |
| Core business | GPU-native cloud provider that purchases NVIDIA GPU servers (often from Supermicro) and rents GPU capacity to AI customers as a service. CoreWeave's model is cloud services on top of GPU hardware. | Designs and manufactures high-performance server systems optimized for AI training and inference workloads, including NVIDIA GPU servers, liquid-cooled data center racks, and storage systems. Supermicro's direct-liquid cooling leadership and fast time-to-market with new NVIDIA GPUs have driven rapid growth. |
| Investor focus | Revenue backlog, GPU utilization, cloud services gross margin, and customer expansion beyond current concentration. | NVIDIA GPU server shipment volumes, gross margin expansion, accounting remediation progress, manufacturing capacity scale-up, and data center liquid cooling adoption. |
- →Cloud services model produces recurring subscription-like revenue vs hardware's one-time sales
- →NVIDIA GPU relationship gives CoreWeave preferential access to new GPU generations
- →Multi-year contracted backlog provides revenue visibility unusual in early-stage companies
- →First-to-market with new NVIDIA GPU platforms gives Supermicro a major time-to-revenue advantage over slower competitors
- →Liquid cooling leadership positions SMCI for high-density AI GPU rack deployment as data center power densities rise
- →Modular server architecture allows rapid customization for hyperscaler and cloud customer specifications
- →Heavy capex for GPU procurement drives high leverage and interest expense
- →Cloud services margins depend on GPU utilization rates — underutilization is expensive
- →Competition from AWS, Azure, and GCP GPU cloud services continues to intensify
- →Accounting and audit issues in 2024 created significant regulatory, reputational, and Nasdaq listing risk
- →Gross margins are structurally thin for a hardware business and subject to competitive pressure from Dell and HPE
- →Revenue is lumpy and depends on NVIDIA GPU allocation timing and large customer order cycles
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