By Gianluca Lo Nostro and Agnieszka Olenska
April 17 (Reuters) - Sweden's Ericsson reported a first-quarter core profit that slightly missed market expectations on Friday, citing increasing chip costs caused by artificial intelligence demand and a sales slowdown in North America.
The network equipment maker is facing rising input costs partially due to high demand for AI technology that is driving up prices of semiconductors, CEO Börje Ekholm said in a statement.
"We are working together with our suppliers
to mitigate this. But also, we will need to work with our customers to share the burden on this," finance chief Lars Sandström added in an interview with Reuters.
The company reported an adjusted operating profit of 5.2 billion Swedish crowns ($566 million), excluding restructuring charges, for the first quarter of 2026. Analysts polled by Infront were expecting 5.4 billion crowns on average.
Ericsson, one of the main Western suppliers of network equipment alongside Finland's Nokia, is betting heavily on the U.S. market even as transatlantic ties have become strained under President Donald Trump's rule.
The Swedish group has significant exposure to the United States, especially after winning a $14 billion deal with operator AT&T in 2023, which could help outweigh slower telecoms investments in other markets.
Sandström said sales in North America fell by a mid-single-digit percentage in the quarter, compared to a strong year-ago period that was boosted by tariff-related demand. Underlying market conditions in the region remain solid, he added.
The group reported quarterly net sales of 49.3 billion crowns, compared with an Infront poll estimate of 50.7 billion crowns.
($1 = 9.1869 Swedish crowns)
(Reporting by Gianluca Lo Nostro and Agnieszka Olenska in Gdansk; Editing by Milla Nissi-Prussak)
