Semiconductor & Technology Specialist, Ingenuity

William Keating

Semiconductor & Technology Specialist

Ingenuity

Our focus is exclusively on in-depth research & consulting in the broader semiconductor industry. We focus on the key players, namely Intel, Micron, Qualcomm, Apple, Samsung, NVIDIA, AMD, TSMC & Global Foundries - as well as some of the lesser known, but nonetheless critical, companies such as ASML (for EUV), Mellanox, Cavium, Xilinx etc. We specialise in their products, roadmaps, process technologies, competitive advantages & threats etc. We also help our clients understand the implications of new and emerging technologies, e.g. 3D X-Point, 3D NAND, Carbon Nanotubes, Autonomous Driving, Graphene, Silicon Photonics, Wafer-Level Optics, Artificial Intelligence, FPGA, GPU, ASIC etc. 

Semiconductor Analysis & Research

Equity Bottom-Up

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>TSMC guided Q324 revenues of $22.8 billion at the midpoint, up 9.5% QoQ and up 32% YoY</li>
<li>Increased full year guidance to be above mid-20% YoY growth in US dollar terms</li>
<li>Share price has declined ~14% from its 52 week high but still up &gt;2x from its 52 week low. Many will view this pullback as a gift, we certainly do...</li>
</ul>


TSMC guided Q324 revenues of $22.8 billion at the midpoint, up 9.5% QoQ and up 32% YoY
Increased full year guidance to be above mid-20% YoY growth in US dollar terms
Share price has declined ~14% from its 52 week high but still up &gt;2x from its 52 week low. Many will view this pullback as a gift, we certainly do...


<ul>
<li>June 2024 revenues of NT$207.87 billion, a decrease of 9.5% MoM but an increase of 32.9% YoY</li>
<li>Q224 revenue of US$20.9 billion, $457 million above the high end, up 10.5% QoQ and up 33.7% YoY. It was also TSMC's highest revenue quarter ever</li>
<li>At NT$1,266,154 (around US$39 billion), TSMC’s YTD revenues are up 28% YoY, well in line with the company’s forecast for a &gt;20% YoY increase in 2024.</li>
</ul>


June 2024 revenues of NT$207.87 billion, a decrease of 9.5% MoM but an increase of 32.9% YoY
Q224 revenue of US$20.9 billion, $457 million above the high end, up 10.5% QoQ and up 33.7% YoY. It was also TSMC's highest revenue quarter ever
At NT$1,266,154 (around US$39 billion), TSMC’s YTD revenues are up 28% YoY, well in line with the company’s forecast for a &gt;20% YoY increase in 2024.


TSMC's June Revenue Declined 9.5% MoM. Should We Be Worried?

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

<ul>
<li>Since Microsoft's association with ChatGPT has become common knowledge, it's share price has doubled</li>
<li>Since rumours of an impending partnership with OpenAI first emerged, Apple share price is up 37% </li>
<li>The extraordinary valuations of Microsoft &amp; Apple were driven by association with ChatGPT. Revenue growth to justify those valuations must now depend on ChatGPT. Let's see how that works out.  </li>
</ul>


Since Microsoft's association with ChatGPT has become common knowledge, it's share price has doubled
Since rumours of an impending partnership with OpenAI first emerged, Apple share price is up 37% 
The extraordinary valuations of Microsoft &amp; Apple were driven by association with ChatGPT. Revenue growth to justify those valuations must now depend on ChatGPT. Let's see how that works out.  


Apple Intelligence, Powered By ChatGPT. Genius Move Or Desperate Gamble?

NVIDIA Corporation designs, develops, and markets three dimensional (3D) graphics processors and related software.  The Company's products provide interactive 3D graphics to the mainstream personal computer market.

<ul>
<li>NVIDIA's data center revenues tripled YoY in CY 2023 and are on track to more than double in CY 2024</li>
<li>When Intel dominated the data centre and minted tens of billions annually, its customers benefited even more, minting hundreds of billions. </li>
<li>If NVIDIA's business model succeeds, its customers will succeed even more. This will make it extremely difficult for NVIDIA to remain the #1 global market cap stock. </li>
</ul>


NVIDIA's data center revenues tripled YoY in CY 2023 and are on track to more than double in CY 2024
When Intel dominated the data centre and minted tens of billions annually, its customers benefited even more, minting hundreds of billions. 
If NVIDIA's business model succeeds, its customers will succeed even more. This will make it extremely difficult for NVIDIA to remain the #1 global market cap stock. 


<ul>
<li>Global semiconductor equipment billings amounted to $26.4 billion in Q124, down 6% QoQ and down 2% YoY</li>
<li>China's annual WFE spending has roughly doubled between 2020 and 2023 to $36.6 billion</li>
<li>A combination of China's WFE customers including new entrants and a high failure rate among semi startups means that spending has not yet translated into corresponding increase in semi output</li>
</ul>


Global semiconductor equipment billings amounted to $26.4 billion in Q124, down 6% QoQ and down 2% YoY
China's annual WFE spending has roughly doubled between 2020 and 2023 to $36.6 billion
A combination of China's WFE customers including new entrants and a high failure rate among semi startups means that spending has not yet translated into corresponding increase in semi output


Semiconductor WFE Q124 Revenues, China's Share & What Are They Doing With All Those Tools?