Broadcom Inc. (AVGO) vs Microsoft Corporation (MSFT)

Broadcom Inc. is one of the world’s largest semiconductor companies and has also built a significant presence in infrastructure software. Its chip business is mainly focused on computing and networking, with custom AI accelerators now representing the majority of operations. Broadcom primarily operates as a fabless chip designer, though it retains some in-house manufacturing, including its leading film bulk acoustic resonator filters used in Apple iPhones. On the software side, the company provides virtualization, infrastructure, and security solutions to large enterprises, financial institutions, and government customers. Broadcom has grown through consolidation, combining businesses from legacy Broadcom and Avago Technologies in semiconductors, along with VMware, Brocade, CA Technologies, and Symantec in software.

Microsoft Corp develops and licenses software for both consumer and enterprise markets. The company is best known for its Windows operating systems and Office productivity applications. Its business is organized into three broadly equal segments: Productivity and Business Processes, which includes legacy Microsoft Office, cloud-based Office 365, Exchange, SharePoint, Skype, LinkedIn, and Dynamics; Intelligent Cloud, which includes Azure infrastructure- and platform-as-a-service offerings, Windows Server, and SQL Server; and More Personal Computing, which includes Windows Client, Xbox, Bing search, display advertising, and Surface laptops, tablets, and desktop devices.