Equity Long-Short, Semiconductors, Fabricated Knowledge

Douglas O'Laughlin

Equity Long-Short, Semiconductors

Fabricated Knowledge

Learn more about the world's most important manufactured product. Meaningful insight, timely analysis, and an occasional investment idea.

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

<ul><li>Markets always act erratically, but I thought I would highlight one aspect that disproportionately impacts semiconductors.</li><li>Factor investing is not new, but we are in a unique period where Momentum has quite a period of outperformance and short-term outperformance.</li><li>This matters because semiconductors are (as far as my memory holds) the most significant weight in Momentum I’ve ever witnessed. </li></ul>

Markets always act erratically, but I thought I would highlight one aspect that disproportionately impacts semiconductors.Factor investing is not new, but we are in a unique period where Momentum has quite a period of outperformance and short-term outperformance.This matters because semiconductors are (as far as my memory holds) the most significant weight in Momentum I’ve ever witnessed. 

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

<ul>
<li>MSFT's new AI features for Windows will need computers with at least 16GB of DRAM to run effectively. MSFT is asking manufacturers for this as a minimum for AI models.</li>
<li>MSFT announced Copilot Pro for individuals and small businesses last week. The desire to use generative AI and the minimum required DRAM will drive accelerated PC upgrades.</li>
<li>We note relative strength in 16GB DRAM prices; In Memory space, we continue to see relative value in SK Hynix, however, Nanya has the opportunity to Outperform in Taiwan.</li>
</ul>


MSFT's new AI features for Windows will need computers with at least 16GB of DRAM to run effectively. MSFT is asking manufacturers for this as a minimum for AI models.
MSFT announced Copilot Pro for individuals and small businesses last week. The desire to use generative AI and the minimum required DRAM will drive accelerated PC upgrades.
We note relative strength in 16GB DRAM prices; In Memory space, we continue to see relative value in SK Hynix, however, Nanya has the opportunity to Outperform in Taiwan.


Memory Monitor: Microsoft Copilot Will Supercharge Demand for DRAM; SK Hynix, Nanya Tech, Micron

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

Taiwan Semiconductor (TSMC) / Equity Bottom-Up

<h2>Summary</h2>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/11230" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:11230:1"></a>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/11230" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:11230:1">Taiwan Semiconductor Mfg Co</a> has dominated the foundry segment over the past two decades. With revenues of $33 billion in 2017, the company had a 56% share of the foundry market and was over five times the size of its nearest competitor, Globalfoundries. Under the visionary leadership of Morris Chang, TSMC effectively invented the fabless model. Originally mocked by former AMD CEO Gerry Sanders who once famously quipped that “real men own fabs”, the fabless model has evolved into a thriving ecosystem, one which has facilitated the meteoric rise of some of the biggest names in the semiconductor segment including <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/666" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:666:1">Apple</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/969" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:969:1">Qualcomm </a>and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/5891" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:5891:1">Nvidia</a>.  
TSMC’s success has been predicated upon the company's so-called Trinity of Strengths, namely process leadership, manufacturing excellence and customer trust. In today’s highly competitive foundry landscape, those strengths have never been more significant.
While the smartphone processor business has been central to TSMC's growth in recent years with Apple accounting for some 22% of revenues, the company is well positioned to diversify and benefit from high, secular growth trends in IoT, Automotive and AI acceleration. Even more significantly, TSMC is set to compete for the first time with Intel in the lucrative data center market by virtue of its role in manufacturing server chips for <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/19009" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:19009:1">Advanced Micro Devices</a> and a growing swathe of ARM-based server initiatives lead by none other than <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/409" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:409:1">Amazon</a>. 
Between 2006 and 2017, TSMC grew at a CAGR of 9.8% in NT$ terms, easily outpacing growth of both the broader semiconductor segment and its foundry peers. For the period 2019-2022, we model TSMC growing at a slightly lower CAGR of 8.36%, but nonetheless more than double the anticipated CAGR for the semiconductor segment as a whole.

Summary

Taiwan Semiconductor Mfg Co has dominated the foundry segment over the past two decades. With revenues of $33 billion in 2017, the company had a 56% share of the foundry market and was over five times the size of its nearest competitor, Globalfoundries. Under the visionary leadership of Morris Chang, TSMC effectively invented the fabless model. Originally mocked by former AMD CEO Gerry Sanders who once famously quipped that “real men own fabs”, the fabless model has evolved into a thriving ecosystem, one which has facilitated the meteoric rise of some of the biggest names in the semiconductor segment including Apple, Qualcomm and Nvidia.  
TSMC’s success has been predicated upon the company's so-called Trinity of Strengths, namely process leadership, manufacturing excellence and customer trust. In today’s highly competitive foundry landscape, those strengths have never been more significant.
While the smartphone processor business has been central to TSMC's growth in recent years with Apple accounting for some 22% of revenues, the company is well positioned to diversify and benefit from high, secular growth trends in IoT, Automotive and AI acceleration. Even more significantly, TSMC is set to compete for the first time with Intel in the lucrative data center market by virtue of its role in manufacturing server chips for Advanced Micro Devices and a growing swathe of ARM-based server initiatives lead by none other than Amazon. 
Between 2006 and 2017, TSMC grew at a CAGR of 9.8% in NT$ terms, easily outpacing growth of both the broader semiconductor segment and its foundry peers. For the period 2019-2022, we model TSMC growing at a slightly lower CAGR of 8.36%, but nonetheless more than double the anticipated CAGR for the semiconductor segment as a whole. 

A Bull Investment Case for TSMC (Summary Version)

Taiwan Semiconductor (TSMC) - ADR / Equity Bottom-Up

<ul>
<li>We believe TSMC represents defensive exposure to AI for investors concerned that many other AI-related stocks' valuations may be too high.</li>
<li>While one may think TSMC seems too obvious as a play, we note that the stock is up only 4.5% over the last six months.</li>
<li>We view TSMC as trading at an inexpensive valuation; even a cheap valuation should our hypothesis that the stock is structurally re-rating upwards turn out to be true.</li>
</ul>


We believe TSMC represents defensive exposure to AI for investors concerned that many other AI-related stocks' valuations may be too high.
While one may think TSMC seems too obvious as a play, we note that the stock is up only 4.5% over the last six months.
We view TSMC as trading at an inexpensive valuation; even a cheap valuation should our hypothesis that the stock is structurally re-rating upwards turn out to be true.


TSMC: Defensive AI Play in Long Upward Re-Rating Trend?

Asia and Global Semiconductor and Tech Research

Andrew Lu

<ul>
<li>By offering 15k and 30k/m 3nm capacity by 4Q24/4Q25 to Intel, TSMC will see Intel becoming one of its top 3 customers by accounting for 12% of TSMC 2025 sales</li>
<li>By leveraging 3nm outsourcing, Intel will have incremental sales/capacity growth of 19-20% per year by accounting for 28%/44% of sales in 2024/2025, beating consensus' 14%/9% y/y sales growth for 2024/2025.</li>
<li>We estimate 30-35% 5 years EPS CAGR for Intel, driven by TSMC's 2/3nm foundry support, lower cost and process R&amp;D, lower capex and depreciation cost, and AI PC CPU launch.</li>
</ul>


By offering 15k and 30k/m 3nm capacity by 4Q24/4Q25 to Intel, TSMC will see Intel becoming one of its top 3 customers by accounting for 12% of TSMC 2025 sales
By leveraging 3nm outsourcing, Intel will have incremental sales/capacity growth of 19-20% per year by accounting for 28%/44% of sales in 2024/2025, beating consensus' 14%/9% y/y sales growth for 2024/2025.
We estimate 30-35% 5 years EPS CAGR for Intel, driven by TSMC's 2/3nm foundry support, lower cost and process R&amp;D, lower capex and depreciation cost, and AI PC CPU launch.


A Turnaround Story for Intel by Accelerating 3nm Outsourcing to TSMC?

United States

Western Digital Corporation is a global provider of solutions for the collection, storage, management, protection and use of digital content, including audio and video. The Company's products include hard drives, solid-state drives, and home entertainment and networking products.

HP Inc. provides imaging and printing systems, computing systems, mobile devices, solutions, and services for business and home. The Company offers products which includes laser and inkjet printers, scanners, copiers and faxes, personal computers, workstations, storage solutions, and other computing and printing systems. HP sells its products worldwide.

Super Micro Computer, Inc. designs, develops, manufactures and sells server solutions based on modular and open-standard x86 architecture. The Company's products include servers, motherboards, chassis, and accessories.

Seagate Technology Holdings Public Limited Company offers computer hardware products. The Company designs, manufactures, and markets hard disk drives for enterprise applications, client compute applications, client non-compute applications, personal data backup systems, portable external storage systems and digital media systems.

NetApp, Inc. provides storage and data management solutions. The Company's storage solutions include specialized hardware, software, and services that provide storage management for open network environments. NetApp  serves enterprises, government agencies, and universities worldwide.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company provides information technology solutions. The Company offers enterprise security, analytics and data management, applications development and testing, data center care, cloud consulting, and business process services. Hewlett Packard Enterprise serves customers worldwide.

Pure Storage, Inc. provides enterprise storage solutions. The Company offers flash enterprise arrays for high performance workloads, including server consolidation, virtualization desktop, database, and cloud computing. Pure Storage serves customers throughout the United States.

NCR Corporation manufactures financial transaction machines and other products. The Company produces automated teller machines (ATM), self-checkout and self-service kiosks, point-of-sale workstations and scanners; manufactures printer consumable products; and manages networks and servers for ATMs and kiosks.

Avid Technology, Inc. develops, markets, sells, and supports a variety of software and systems for creating and manipulating digital media content. The Company develops and sells digital editing systems and newsroom computer systems, as well as digital audio systems.  Avid's products are used worldwide in production and post-production film, video, and television facilities.

Xerox Holdings Corporation operates as a holding company. The Company, through its subsidiaries provides printers, scanners, supplies, and accessories. Xerox Holdings serves health care, insurance, government and retail sectors worldwide.

Canon Inc. is a professional and consumer imaging solutions company and patent-holder of digital imaging technologies. The Company's products include networked multifunction devices, digital and analog copiers, computer peripherals, facsimile machines, image filing systems, camcorders, cameras and lenses, semiconductor, and broadcast and medical equipment.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. manufactures a wide range of consumer and industrial electronic equipment and products such as semiconductors, personal computers, peripherals, monitors, televisions, and home appliances including air conditioners and microwave ovens. The Company also produces Internet access network systems and telecommunications equipment including mobile phones.

Quanta Computer Inc. manufactures and markets notebook computers and related peripheral equipment.

FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation develops, sells and services Imaging, Information, and Document Solutions.  Its products include color films, digital cameras, photofinishing products and equipment.  The Group also manufactures medical and graphic art use equipment and materials, FPD materials, and optical devices, and provides services on office copy machines, printers, and related equipment.

NEC Corporation manufactures and markets computers, telecommunication equipment, electronic devices, semiconductors, and software.  The Company's products include printers, modems, cellular phones, plasma display panels (PDP), network systems, memory, integrated circuits (IC), thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD), and printed circuit boards (PCB). NEC operates worldwide.

BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd. manufactures display products. The Company produces display panels, sensor devices, and other products. BOE Technology Group supplies its products in mobile phones, tablets, notebooks, monitors, and other fields.

Wistron Corporation manufactures and markets notebook computers, personal computers, and other related information products.

Inspur Electronic Information Industry Co., Ltd. manufactures and markets computer servers, computer terminal products, electronic products, and telecommunication equipment.  The Company also develops computer software, provides system integration services, and operates in import and export trading.

Inspur Electronic Infmtn Indtry (000977 CH)

Advantech Co., Ltd. manufactures and markets embedded personal computers (PC), network computing products, industrial automation products, and panel PCs.

Pegatron Corp is a design, manufacturing and service company. The Company produces motherboards, desktop PCs, notebooks, broadband, wireless systems, game consoles, networking, multimedia, LCD TV, and more.

Apple Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets smartphones, personal computers, tablets, wearables and accessories, and sells a variety of related accessories. The Company also offers payment, digital content, cloud and advertising services. Apple Inc.'s customers are primarily in consumer, small & mid-sized business, education, enterprise and government markets worldwide.

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Apple (AAPL US)

Factors and Semiconductors

A friendly warning. Momentum is outperforming all factors this year, and Semiconductors are a large part of that. Markets always act erratically,...

Fabricated Knowledge

Memory Monitor: Microsoft Copilot Will Supercharge Demand for DRAM; SK Hynix, Nanya Tech, Micron

Microsoft's new AI features for Windows require a minimum of 16GB of DRAM, prompting accelerated PC upgrades and a pulling forward of the demand...

Vincent Fernando, CFA

A Bull Investment Case for TSMC (Summary Version)

As we approach the 5 year anniversary of this SK original on TSMC, I'm quite proud of the how the analysis it contains has stood the test of time....

William Keating

TSMC: Defensive AI Play in Long Upward Re-Rating Trend?

We view TSMC as trading at an inexpensive valuation; even a cheap valuation should our hypothesis that the stock is structurally re-rating upwards...

Vincent Fernando, CFA

A Turnaround Story for Intel by Accelerating 3nm Outsourcing to TSMC?

A Turnaround Story for Intel by Accelerating 3nm Outsourcing to TSMC? Intel needs TSMC foundry services more than TSMC needs Intel as a foundry...

Andrew Lu

Price Gauge

52-week Range

Market Cap (USDm)

P/E

Dividend (Yield)

Factors and Semiconductors

A friendly warning. Momentum is outperforming all factors this year, and Semiconductors are a large part of that. Markets always act erratically,...

Fabricated Knowledge

Memory Monitor: Microsoft Copilot Will Supercharge Demand for DRAM; SK Hynix, Nanya Tech, Micron

​Microsoft's new AI features for Windows require a minimum of 16GB of DRAM, prompting accelerated PC upgrades and a pulling forward of the demand...

Vincent Fernando, CFA

A Bull Investment Case for TSMC (Summary Version)

As we approach the 5 year anniversary of this SK original on TSMC, I'm quite proud of the how the analysis it contains has stood the test of time....

William Keating

TSMC: Defensive AI Play in Long Upward Re-Rating Trend?

We view TSMC as trading at an inexpensive valuation; even a cheap valuation should our hypothesis that the stock is structurally re-rating upwards...

Vincent Fernando, CFA

A Turnaround Story for Intel by Accelerating 3nm Outsourcing to TSMC?

A Turnaround Story for Intel by Accelerating 3nm Outsourcing to TSMC? Intel needs TSMC foundry services more than TSMC needs Intel as a foundry...

Andrew Lu

Microsoft's new AI features for Windows require a minimum of 16GB of DRAM, prompting accelerated PC upgrades and a pulling forward of the demand...