---
title: "Check Point launches a 12.8-terabit AI firewall; Monday's report is seen as its first revenue drop"
description: "The firewall incumbent quadrupled its data-center inspection capacity for AI traffic on October 29. Monday's third-quarter report, which analysts expect to show the first year-over-year revenue decline in at least three years, is the first test of whether the AI-security boom reaches it."
publisher: "The Inference"
section: "Security"
published: 2026-10-31T14:05:07.115Z
modified: 2026-10-31T14:05:07.115Z
canonical: https://theinference.org/article/check-point-launches-a-12-8-terabit-ai-firewall-monday-s-report-is-seen-as-its-first-revenue-drop
language: en
keywords: "Check Point Software, Cybersecurity, Firewalls, CrowdStrike, Earnings"
---

# Check Point launches a 12.8-terabit AI firewall; Monday's report is seen as its first revenue drop

> The firewall incumbent quadrupled its data-center inspection capacity for AI traffic on October 29. Monday's third-quarter report, which analysts expect to show the first year-over-year revenue decline in at least three years, is the first test of whether the AI-security boom reaches it.

## Four times the inspection, same 1RU chassis

On October 29, [Check Point Software](https://theinference.org/markets/companies/check-point-software) (Nasdaq: CHKP), the Israeli-founded firewall maker that says it protects more than 100,000 organizations, [launched the Maestro Hyperscale Orchestrator MHO 200](https://www.marketscreener.com/news/check-point-secures-ai-scale-traffic-for-neoclouds-sovereign-ai-and-the-enterprise-with-new-maestro-ce785fdad98ef221), an appliance for neoclouds (cloud providers that rent out GPU capacity for AI workloads), telecom carriers, governments and enterprises to inspect the largely encrypted traffic AI systems move through data centers [1].

Fabric capacity rises to 12.8 terabits per second, from 3.2 on the prior model, and threat-prevention throughput quadruples to 4.5 Tbps, with new 400-gigabit Ethernet ports in the same 1RU chassis [1]. Three days earlier came [Firewall-as-a-Subscription, three-year contracts that replace upfront hardware purchases, available from November 1](https://finance.yahoo.com/technology/ai/articles/check-point-launches-firewall-subscription-130000722.html) [2].

## Rivals are priced for a boom

[CrowdStrike](https://theinference.org/markets/companies/crowdstrike) [trades at $261.83, up 123% this year](https://247wallst.com/investing/2026/10/27/is-crowdstrikes-rally-a-sign-of-a-sustainable-shift-toward-increased-ai-cybersecurity/), at 189 times forward earnings and above the $247.25 average target of its 53 covering analysts [3]. [Netskope](https://theinference.org/markets/companies/netskope)'s [annual recurring revenue climbed 27% to $899 million](https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/stocks/articles/netskope-ntsk-eight-analysts-raised-120822344.html) and eight analysts raised targets the next day, negative $29.8 million of quarterly free cash notwithstanding [4].

[Check Point's filings](https://theinference.org/markets/companies/check-point-software) tell the opposite story: [second-quarter revenue of $673.6 million grew 1.3% from a year earlier](https://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?action=getcompany&CIK=0001015922) [5][8], [analysts forecast 5.3% annual growth over three years against 12% for US software](https://www.ainvest.com/news/check-point-ai-push-mask-slower-growth-2610/) [5], and the stock closed October 30 at $152.11, down 18% for the year and 1.8% above the $149.44 average target of 38 analysts [6].

*Chart: **Revenue growth has slipped every quarter since September 2025** Line chart of Check Point's year-over-year quarterly revenue growth from Q3 2024 through Q2 2026, with the Q3 2026 consensus estimate, falling from 6.7% in September 2025 to 1.3% in June 2026 and a forecast 0.7% decline next*

*Year-over-year revenue growth by quarter, from Check Point's SEC filings; Q3 2026 marked E is the Zacks consensus. Sources: SEC filings via company_series [8]; Zacks consensus [7]. [8][7]*

## The bull case is real, but small

[Gartner](https://theinference.org/markets/companies/gartner) [named Check Point a Leader in hybrid mesh firewalls on September 10](https://www.morningstar.com/news/pr-newswire/20260910dc44516/check-point-named-a-leader-in-the-2026-gartner-magic-quadrant-for-hybrid-mesh-firewall), and the company claims the industry's first AI network firewall, shipped in July [9]. Miercom has ranked it first in security effectiveness four years running [1].

The newer businesses, SASE, exposure management and AI security, are [growing annual recurring revenue above 40% by one market-analytics tally](https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/firewall-subscription-launch-might-change-101451910.html), still too small to move a company that booked $2.76 billion over the past four quarters [8][10]. Bears answer that consolidated platforms keep pressing prices: Wedbush cut the stock to Neutral in September, while UBS lifted its target to $145 on October 15 [5][6].

## Monday is the first count

Results arrive before the US open on Monday, November 2 [6]. [The Zacks consensus expects $672.51 million of revenue](https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/analysts-estimate-check-point-software-chkp-to-report-a-decline-in-earnings-what-to-look-out-for/ar-AA2g5PVB), down 0.7%, and $2.49 of earnings per share, down 36.8%, a comparison inflated by the 73% jump in third-quarter 2025 net income [7][8]. The tell is guidance: whether [MHO 200 and the subscription firewall appear anywhere in the fourth-quarter outlook](https://theinference.org/article/check-point-rents-its-firewall-monthly-from-november-1-and-reports-earnings-november-2) [7][8]. CrowdStrike is priced as though [agent-era security already arrived](https://theinference.org/article/crowdstrike-puts-safemind-on-nvidia-s-stage-while-check-point-patches-its-own-exploited-9-8s); Check Point is priced as though it never reaches the revenue line.

## Takeaway

Check Point quadrupled its AI-traffic inspection capacity on October 29, but the AI-security boom has not yet reached its revenue line: analysts expect Monday's Q3 report to show the first year-over-year decline in at least three years, and the fourth-quarter guidance is the tell.

## Sources

1. [PRNewswire via MarketScreener, Check Point Secures AI-Scale Traffic for Neoclouds, Sovereign AI and the Enterprise with New Maestro Hyperscale Orchestrator, 29 October 2026](https://www.marketscreener.com/news/check-point-secures-ai-scale-traffic-for-neoclouds-sovereign-ai-and-the-enterprise-with-new-maestro-ce785fdad98ef221)
2. [PRNewswire via Yahoo Finance, Check Point Launches Firewall-as-a-Subscription to Put Advanced AI-Era Protection Within Reach of Every Organization, 26 October 2026](https://finance.yahoo.com/technology/ai/articles/check-point-launches-firewall-subscription-130000722.html)
3. [24/7 Wall St, Is CrowdStrike's Rally a Sign of a Sustainable Shift Toward Increased AI Cybersecurity?, 27 October 2026](https://247wallst.com/investing/2026/10/27/is-crowdstrikes-rally-a-sign-of-a-sustainable-shift-toward-increased-ai-cybersecurity/)
4. [Insider Monkey via Yahoo Finance, Netskope (NTSK): Eight Analysts Raised Targets on the AI Security Opportunity, But the Cash Burn Is Real, 22 September 2026](https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/stocks/articles/netskope-ntsk-eight-analysts-raised-120822344.html)
5. [AInvest, Check Point's AI Push Can't Mask Slower Growth, 31 October 2026](https://www.ainvest.com/news/check-point-ai-push-mask-slower-growth-2610/)
6. [PRNewswire via MarketScreener, Check Point Software to Announce 2026 Third Quarter Financial Results on November 2, 2026, 1 October 2026 (page also carries CHKP price, targets and analyst actions)](https://www.marketscreener.com/news/check-point-software-to-announce-2026-third-quarter-financial-results-on-november-2-2026-ce785ad3d08df625)
7. [Zacks Investment Research via MSN, Analysts estimate Check Point Software (CHKP) to report a decline in earnings, 26 October 2026](https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/analysts-estimate-check-point-software-chkp-to-report-a-decline-in-earnings-what-to-look-out-for/ar-AA2g5PVB)
8. [Check Point Software quarterly figures from SEC filings, retrieved 31 October 2026 via company_series](https://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?action=getcompany&CIK=0001015922)
9. [PRNewswire via Morningstar, Check Point Named a Leader in the 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Hybrid Mesh Firewall, 10 September 2026](https://www.morningstar.com/news/pr-newswire/20260910dc44516/check-point-named-a-leader-in-the-2026-gartner-magic-quadrant-for-hybrid-mesh-firewall)
10. [Simply Wall St via Yahoo Finance UK, Firewall Subscription Launch Might Change The Case For Investing In Check Point Stock (CHKP), 27 October 2026](https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/firewall-subscription-launch-might-change-101451910.html)


---

Check Point launches a 12.8-terabit AI firewall; Monday's report is seen as its first revenue drop — The Inference. Canonical: https://theinference.org/article/check-point-launches-a-12-8-terabit-ai-firewall-monday-s-report-is-seen-as-its-first-revenue-drop