Caterpillar (CAT): The $12B AI power surge & eating a $600M tariff tax [Q1 2026]

Caterpillar’s Q1 2026 results prove the heavy machinery giant is quietly transforming into the invisible power layer for the AI tech boom.In ~10 minutes:• How a $12B backlog surge is tied directly to prime power for data centers.• Why absorbing a surprise $600M tariff hit still resulted in 30% EPS growth.• Management's aggressive 3x capacity expansion for large engines.• The hidden margin crash hitting the legacy Resource Industries segment.As legendary CFO Andrew Bonfield signs off after 90 earnings calls, he leaves behind a business entering a massive CapEx supercycle. Caterpillar is no longer just selling backup standby generators—they are bypassing constrained utilities entirely to act as private power grids for big tech, locking in frame agreements that stretch out to 2028. ⚡Company: Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) | Q1 FY2026AI-assisted production. Feedback/ticker requests: https://x.com/EarnUnscripted.