There has been widespread disruptions in the supply chain and spending pattern across major industries since coronavirus broke out. However, the semiconductor industry has been resilient enough throughout second-quarter 2020.Although Huawei ban and sluggish demand for smartphone, automotive and consumer electronics might have acted as headwinds, growing proliferation of advanced technologies including AI, ML, AR/VR, cloud computing, IoT, 5G and blockchain are expected to have benefited the semiconductor stocks amid the ongoing pandemic.This is evident from the better-than-expected performance delivered recently by Micron MU. The company’s fiscal third-quarter 2020 results were primarily driven by solid memory chip demand. Moreover, Micron’s positive outlook for the fiscal fourth-quarter 2020 remains encouraging.Further, Taiwan Semiconductor TSM reported stellar second-quarter 2020 results driven by growing demand for its high-performance chips. Further, the company has provided a strong outlook for third-quarter 2020 on the back of growing adoption of its 7nm and other advanced technologies in 5G smartphones, high-performance computing (HPC) and IoT-related applications.Additionally, Xilinx XLNX revised first-quarter fiscal2021 guidance, which indicates higher chip demand from datacenters and telecom operators.Prospects for Semiconductor StocksNotably, all the abovementioned facts indicate that semiconductor companies are likely to have gained significantly on COVID-19 induced social distancing measures and stay-at-home restrictions. This, in turn, has been fueling demand for chips required in datacenters as a result of work-from-home trend-led growing adoption of cloud services.Further, growing demand for server solid state drives (SSD) in datacenters, which has been driving growth in the NAND market, might have benefited the semiconductor companies in the second quarter.Furthermore, accelerating deployment of 5G driven by increasing demand for ultrafast Internet connectivity may have contributed to the growth of chipmakers in second-quarter 2020.Additionally, rising demand for desktops, notebooks and enterprise laptops as a result of growing trend of work-from-home and learn-from-home amid this pandemic scenario might have benefited the chip companies.An uptick in the PC shipments in second-quarter 2020 is testament to the abovementioned factors. Per Gartner, global PC shipments were 64.8 million units during the quarter under review, which were up 2.8% year over year.How to Make the Right Pick?With the presence of several industry participants, finding the right semiconductor stocks with the potential to beat on earnings can be daunting. Our proprietary methodology, however, makes this task fairly simple.You could narrow down your choices by looking at the stocks that have the perfect combination of the two key elements: a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) and a positive Earnings ESP. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.Earnings ESP is our proprietary methodology for determining the stocks that have the maximum chances of beating estimates at their next earnings announcement. It is the percentage difference between the Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate.Our research shows that for stocks with this apt mix of ingredients, the odds of a positive earnings surprise are as high as 70%.Best BetsNXP Semiconductors NXPI is slated to report second-quarter 2020 results on Jul 27. The company has an Earnings ESP of +11.9% and a Zacks Rank #2 currently. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings has been revised upward by 1.2%to 85 cents per share over the past 30 days.NXP Semiconductors N.V. Price and EPS Surprise NXP Semiconductors N.V. price-eps-surprise | NXP Semiconductors N.V. QuoteMaxLinear MXL is scheduled to report second-quarter 2020 numbers on Jul 23. The company has an Earnings ESP of +9.57% and a Zacks Rank #2 currently. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings has been revised upward by 33.3% to 8 cents per share in the past 30 days.MaxLinear, Inc Price and EPS Surprise MaxLinear, Inc price-eps-surprise | MaxLinear, Inc QuoteTexas Instruments TXN is set to report second-quarter 2020 result on Jul 21. The company has an Earnings ESP of +6.19% and a Zacks Rank #3 currently. The consensus estimate for earnings has been raised by 1.2% to 87 cents per share in the past 30 days.Texas Instruments Incorporated Price and EPS Surprise Texas Instruments Incorporated price-eps-surprise | Texas Instruments Incorporated QuoteIntel INTC is set to report second-quarter 2020 result on Jul 23. The company has an Earnings ESP of +3.13% and a Zacks Rank #3 currently. The consensus estimate for earnings has been raised by 0.9% to $1.11 per share in the past 30 days.Intel Corporation Price and EPS Surprise Intel Corporation price-eps-surprise | Intel Corporation QuoteXilinx is set to report first-quarter fiscal 2021 numbers on Jul 30. The company has an Earnings ESP of +1.09% and a Zacks Rank #3 currently. The consensus estimate for earnings has been revised upward by 1.6% to 62 cents per share over the past 30 days.Xilinx, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise Xilinx, Inc. price-eps-surprise | Xilinx, Inc. QuoteBiggest Tech Breakthrough in a GenerationBe among the early investors in the new type of device that experts say could impact society as much as the discovery of electricity. Current technology will soon be outdated and replaced by these new devices. In the process, it’s expected to create 22 million jobs and generate $12.3 trillion in activity.A select few stocks could skyrocket the most as rollout accelerates for this new tech. Early investors could see gains similar to buying Microsoft in the 1990s. Zacks’ just-released special report reveals 8 stocks to watch. The report is only available for a limited time.See 8 breakthrough stocks now>>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Micron Technology, Inc. (MU): Free Stock Analysis Report Intel Corporation (INTC): Free Stock Analysis Report Texas Instruments Incorporated (TXN): Free Stock Analysis Report Xilinx, Inc. (XLNX): Free Stock Analysis Report NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NXPI): Free Stock Analysis Report Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. (TSM): Free Stock Analysis Report MaxLinear, Inc (MXL): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research