Managing Director, Zero One, Zero One

Vincent Fernando, CFA

Managing Director, Zero One

Zero One

Founded in 2015, Zero One produces independent investment research and provides corporate finance advisory services with a focus on both listed and private technology companies. Founder Vincent Fernando has over 20 years of experience in US and Asia capital markets.

Independent Investment Research

Equity Bottom-Up

ASE Technology Holding   / Equity Bottom-Up

ASE Technology Holding Co., Ltd. offers assembly and testing services. The Company provides outsourced assembly, semiconductor testing, semiconductor packaging, and other related services. ASE Technology Holding operates in Taiwan.

<ul>
<li>A TALE OF TWO SEMI INDUSTRIES: ASE's latest earnings commentary indicates that the performance gap between "leading-edge" technologies and "traditional/mature" semiconductor technologies may be widening.</li>
<li>CAPITAL REQUIREMENT TO KEEP PACE IS RISING: Capacity utilization is starkly different for traditional vs. leading-edge capacity; and capital requirements to keep up in terms of advanced capacity is rising.</li>
<li>ENTRY BARRIERS RISING: We suspect that smaller players could face significant challenges in keeping up with the investments necessary for leading-edge packaging and testing capacity. ASE needs to invest heavily.</li>
</ul>


A TALE OF TWO SEMI INDUSTRIES: ASE's latest earnings commentary indicates that the performance gap between "leading-edge" technologies and "traditional/mature" semiconductor technologies may be widening.
CAPITAL REQUIREMENT TO KEEP PACE IS RISING: Capacity utilization is starkly different for traditional vs. leading-edge capacity; and capital requirements to keep up in terms of advanced capacity is rising.
ENTRY BARRIERS RISING: We suspect that smaller players could face significant challenges in keeping up with the investments necessary for leading-edge packaging and testing capacity. ASE needs to invest heavily.


ASE Color Suggests Widening Performance Gap Between Leading-Edge and Mature Semiconductor Players

Independent research on the U.S. markets, Baptista Research

Baptista Research

Independent research on the U.S. markets

Baptista Research is an independent financial research house focused on the U.S. markets. We provide equity research as well as credit research reports on the top-listed U.S. companies with most of our focus on technology, consumer goods and services, automobiles, industrials, oil and gas, pharma, and healthcare. Our research has served more than 3000 institutional investors including mutual funds, hedge funds, banks, family offices, and various buy-side firms. We operate a research subscription service where institutions, as well as retail investors, can have priority access to all our research. We also have a wide distribution of our research reports across some of the top global financial platforms. Apart from equity research and credit research, we also provide advisory services with respect to mergers & acquisitions (M&A), private equity/ venture capital fundraising, valuation reports, and investment management services for corporates.
Baptista Research is owned and managed by Ishan Majumdar, an ex-Venture Capitalist/ Investment Banker, a Chartered Accountant, and a Masters’ degree holder in Management from HEC Paris. Ishan has nearly a decade of experience in Mergers and Acquisitions, Leveraged Buyouts (LBOs), Venture Capital Investing, Corporate Strategy, and Valuation in front-office roles at the likes of BNP Paribas CIB, Credit Agricole CIB, Groupe Danone, and TIW Private Equity. He has worked on and closed multiple acquisition deals, leveraged buyouts, and start-up investment transactions.

Taiwan Semiconductor (TSMC) / Equity Bottom-Up

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd. manufactures and markets integrated circuits. The Company provides the following services: wafer manufacturing, wafer probing, assembly and testing, mask production, and design services. TSMC's ICs are used in computer, communication, consumer electronics, automotive, and industrial equipment industries.

<ul><li>Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's (TSMC) second quarter 2024 results reveal a mixed picture of advances and challenges.</li><li>The revenue for the quarter was notably strong, increasing by 13.6% sequentially in NT or 10.3% in U.S. dollars.</li><li>This substantial growth was fueled by robust demand for the cutting-edge 3- and 5- nanometer technologies, although somewhat offset by smartphone seasonality.</li></ul>

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's (TSMC) second quarter 2024 results reveal a mixed picture of advances and challenges.The revenue for the quarter was notably strong, increasing by 13.6% sequentially in NT or 10.3% in U.S. dollars.This substantial growth was fueled by robust demand for the cutting-edge 3- and 5- nanometer technologies, although somewhat offset by smartphone seasonality.

Taiwan Semiconductor (TSMC): How Will They Deal With The Strained Production Capacity & Geopolitical Risks & Regulatory Pressures? - Major Drivers

Taiwan Tech Focused Senior Analyst

Patrick Liao

<ul>
<li>General products did not show an immediate recovery, but selective products have reached the bottom.    </li>
<li>The 3Q24 sales will grow in the mid to high teens QoQ in EMS, and IC-ATM sales will grow in the mid to high single digits QoQ.  </li>
<li>AI remains strong across all sectors. Despite AI SP driving the replacement cycle, other general demands still show muted recovery in 3Q24.</li>
</ul>


General products did not show an immediate recovery, but selective products have reached the bottom.    
The 3Q24 sales will grow in the mid to high teens QoQ in EMS, and IC-ATM sales will grow in the mid to high single digits QoQ.  
AI remains strong across all sectors. Despite AI SP driving the replacement cycle, other general demands still show muted recovery in 3Q24.


ASEH (3017.TT; ASX.US): ​Selective Products Have Hit Bottom While General Products Lag Behind.

Tracking developments across tech supply chains, Tech Supply Chain Tracker

Tech Supply Chain Tracker

Tracking developments across tech supply chains

Acer Inc. manufactures and distributes semiconductor products, personal computers, computer peripherals, multimedia products, and computer software. The Company also provides maintenance and repair services to customers.  In addition, Acer Inc. operates real estate business. The Company markets its products under the Acer brand name.

<ul><li>Kamala Harris assumes presidency after Joe Biden steps down amidst discussions on AI regulations and semiconductor debates.</li><li>India's iVP Semi focuses on domestic market with locally developed strategy, aiming to penetrate the fabless startup industry.</li><li>Composite materials boast superior performance but come with higher costs due to advanced properties and manufacturing processes; South Korean experts urge government to protect OLED panel market against Chinese competition.</li></ul>

Kamala Harris assumes presidency after Joe Biden steps down amidst discussions on AI regulations and semiconductor debates.India's iVP Semi focuses on domestic market with locally developed strategy, aiming to penetrate the fabless startup industry.Composite materials boast superior performance but come with higher costs due to advanced properties and manufacturing processes; South Korean experts urge government to protect OLED panel market against Chinese competition.

Tech Supply Chain Tracker (24-Jul-2024): Biden out, Harris leads amid AI, semiconductor debates.

Silicon Motion Technology / Equity Bottom-Up

Silicon Motion Technology Corporation is a semiconductor company that designs, develops, and markets semiconductor products for the multimedia consumer electronics market. The Company's products include controllers used in mobile storage media and multimedia systems on a chip.

<ul>
<li>We had a conference call with Silicon Motion; the leading global provider of NAND flash controllers and solid-state storage solutions for the consumer, enterprise, and industrial markets.</li>
<li>We focus on how Silicon Motion is leveraging advantages of QLC NAND flash memory, which is becoming a critical memory solution for new AI servers, AI PCs, and AI mobiles</li>
<li>Maintain Structural Long rating for Silicon Motion and $102 valuation. The company is in a leading position to benefit from the rising importance of advanced memory controllers for AI applications.</li>
</ul>


We had a conference call with Silicon Motion; the leading global provider of NAND flash controllers and solid-state storage solutions for the consumer, enterprise, and industrial markets.
We focus on how Silicon Motion is leveraging advantages of QLC NAND flash memory, which is becoming a critical memory solution for new AI servers, AI PCs, and AI mobiles
Maintain Structural Long rating for Silicon Motion and $102 valuation. The company is in a leading position to benefit from the rising importance of advanced memory controllers for AI applications.


TechChain Insights: Call with Silicon Motion; QLC NAND Emerging as Key Enabler for AI Devices