How Dell reinvented itself as an AI-server powerhouse — and what its CFO is building next
Good morning. Three years ago, Dell Technologies was watching its traditional PC business contract sharply after a pandemic-era boom, raising fresh questions among analysts about its growth trajectory. Then the AI surge hit—and Dell found itself holding exactly the infrastructure enterprises suddenly couldn’t get enough of.
The numbers tell the story. In fiscal 2026, Dell recorded more than $64 billion in AI-optimized server orders, shipped $25.2 billion worth, and exited the year with a $43 billion backlog as demand accelerated faster than many expected. The company is now guiding for roughly $50 billion in AI server sales in fiscal 2027.
I recently sat down with David Kennedy, CFO of Dell (No. 44 on the Fortune 500), in New York to talk about what’s driving that momentum—and what comes next.
Beyond the surge, Kennedy is using this moment to rethink how finance operates. He’s deploying AI agents across core workflows, where they’re beginning to take on tasks that once required significant human oversight—hinting at a broader shift in how finance teams are structured.
His message to peers: this transformation is already underway. Companies that modernize their data and governance now will move faster. Those that don’t may be forced to catch up in real time.
What he’s building inside Dell’s finance function may be just as consequential as the company’s AI boom. You can read my full interview with Kennedy here.
Simon Edwards was appointed CFO of Bloom Energy (NYSE: BE), a power solutions provider, effective April 13. Edwards is a seasoned finance executive with nearly two decades of experience. Edwards joins Bloom from AI-inference company Groq, where he most recently served as CEO after initially joining as CFO. At Groq, he led the global financial operations and guided the company through a period of expansion and its recent licensing agreement with Nvidia. His prior leadership roles include CFO positions at Conga and ServiceMax.
Mike Masci was appointed CFO of Rumble (Nasdaq: RUM), effective March 31. Masci succeeds Brandon Alexandroff, who will become a strategic advisor to the CEO, according to an SEC filing. Masci is a technology executive with deep expertise in AI and Cloud infrastructure. His most recent role was VP of product management for the Edge Computing Group at Intel Corporation. He also previously served as group CFO of the Datacenter Network Platforms Group.
Big Deal
Acquiring and developing AI and digital talent is CFOs’ top near-term challenge, according to Gartner Inc., a business and technology insights company. A survey of 100 CFOs, taken from January through February 2026, finds respondents identified building AI talent in the function and responding effectively to unpredictable market conditions and events as their two most challenging priorities in the next six months.
In the near term, finance chiefs should focus on upskilling staff to close digital gaps and get more from existing tools, according to Mallory Bulman, a senior director analyst in the Gartner Finance practice.
Gartner: Biggest CFO Challenges for Q2/Q3
Courtesy of Gartner, Inc.
Going deeper
The latest episode of Where AI Works, a podcast produced by the Wharton School and Accenture, explores how AI is accelerating demand for specialized expertise, domain knowledge, and judgment-driven work, while making generalized skills less important on their own.
Overheard
“AI could create unprecedented abundance — or a future we can’t take back. How we get to the good outcome is the defining question of our time.”
—Justin Rosenstein writes in a Fortune opinion piece. Rosenstein is the co-founder of One Project and Asana, an early product leader at Facebook and Google, and a founding advisor to the Center for Humane Technology.
