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* Futures up: Dow 0.12%, S&P 500 0.25%, Nasdaq 0.65%

Aug 12 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures edged higher on

Wednesday ahead of a key inflation report that could influence

the Federal Reserve's monetary policy path, while upbeat

earnings from some AI infrastructure companies offered support.

July consumer prices data, due at 8:30 a.m. ET, is expected

to show that prices increased moderately in July. The CPI likely

rebounded 0.1% last month, a Reuters survey of economists

predicted, after falling 0.4% in June.

In the 12 months through July, the CPI was forecast to have

increased 3.4% after advancing 3.5% in June.

"Today's U.S. CPI print will give an idea of how fast

inflation could fade when the Iran war is over and the upside

pressure on energy prices fades for good. But it won't tell us

what the Federal Reserve should do next, as next month's figures

will again be tainted by a rebound in energy prices," said Ipek

Ozkardeskaya, senior analyst at Swissquote.

The situation in the Middle East remained volatile as the

U.S. and Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis reported separate attacks

on shipping on Tuesday as prospects for ending the Iran war

appeared to dim.

Inflation figures will be under heightened scrutiny as

investors assess the impact of the oil shock from the Middle

East conflict, which has ratcheted up the odds of interest-rate

hikes by global central banks later this year.

U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh's stance on offering

muted forward guidance on rates also increases focus on each

data point. Currently, money market data showed expectations are

evenly split between a 25-basis-point rate hike and a pause in

September, according to CME's FedWatch Tool.

At 06:00 a.m. ET, Dow E-minis rose 64 points, or

0.12%, S&P 500 E-minis gained 19.25 points, or 0.25%,

and Nasdaq 100 E-minis were up 191.5 points, or 0.65%.

CoreWeave ( CRWV ) jumped 18.6% in premarket trading after

the AI cloud company lifted its annual capital spending forecast

and topped second-quarter earnings estimates.

Other AI infrastructure providers including data center

operators IREN ( IREN ) and Applied Digital ( APLD ) also rose

more than 5% each. Neocloud company Nebius Group ( NBIS ) jumped

9.3%.

Super Micro Computer ( SMCI ) advanced 9.1% after the AI

server maker forecast fiscal 2027 revenue above Wall Street

expectations.

The strong earnings underscore robust AI-related demand as

Wall Street giants continue to spend billions to scale up AI

infrastructure.

Overall, current-quarter results have painted an upbeat

picture of corporate America, helping lift the S&P 500

and the Dow to record highs.

Most megacap and growth stocks traded higher on Wednesday,

with Nvidia ( NVDA ) rising more than 1%.

Among others, Cava Group ( CAVA ) surged 12% after the

restaurant chain beat Wall Street expectations for

second-quarter sales and core profit.