Asia and Global Semiconductor and Tech Research

Andrew Lu

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

<ul>
<li>Takeaways: 1. Semi equipment vendors beat 4Q23E; 2. China and DRAM customers stronger ; 3. Margin stable due to lack of depreciation; 4. Top four controls over 90% of shares;</li>
<li>More takeaways: 5. Semi equipment companies' share price performance should lag behind foundries, foundries should lag behind fabless customers; 6. China semi equipment vendors outperforming global peers on local replacement;</li>
<li>Estimating a flattish global semiconductor equipment sales growth for 2023 and 2024 but expecting a double digit y/y sales growth of 17% for 2025 and 10% for 2026. </li>
</ul>


Takeaways: 1. Semi equipment vendors beat 4Q23E; 2. China and DRAM customers stronger ; 3. Margin stable due to lack of depreciation; 4. Top four controls over 90% of shares;
More takeaways: 5. Semi equipment companies' share price performance should lag behind foundries, foundries should lag behind fabless customers; 6. China semi equipment vendors outperforming global peers on local replacement;
Estimating a flattish global semiconductor equipment sales growth for 2023 and 2024 but expecting a double digit y/y sales growth of 17% for 2025 and 10% for 2026. 


Takeaways After Global Semi Equipment Model Updated and Our View on 2024/2025

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

Taiwan Semiconductor (TSMC) / Equity Bottom-Up

<ul>
<li>Last week global heavyweights AMD, Samsung, and Qualcomm delivered good news, including for the Memory, PC, and Smartphone industries. Taiwan company results supported their views as well.</li>
<li>Looking ahead, Novatek, Asustek, and Himax are set to release in Taiwan. Combined with NXP abroad, this will provide color on display demand, automotive, and servers/PCs.</li>
<li>A new Chinese memory chip maker just received major government investment, with an IPO of its related company planned.</li>
</ul>


Last week global heavyweights AMD, Samsung, and Qualcomm delivered good news, including for the Memory, PC, and Smartphone industries. Taiwan company results supported their views as well.
Looking ahead, Novatek, Asustek, and Himax are set to release in Taiwan. Combined with NXP abroad, this will provide color on display demand, automotive, and servers/PCs.
A new Chinese memory chip maker just received major government investment, with an IPO of its related company planned.


Taiwan Tech Weekly: Positive Signs for Memory, PC, Smartphones; Key Autos & Display Color This Week

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

<ul>
<li>Q323 revenues of $2.40 billion, at the upper end of the guidance range, up 2% QoQ but down 12.5% YoY</li>
<li>Current quarter revenue forecast of $2.45 billion, essentially flat sequentially</li>
<li>Services revenue on track for ~8% YoY growth despite overall revenues tracking to an 8.6% YoY decline..</li>
</ul>


Q323 revenues of $2.40 billion, at the upper end of the guidance range, up 2% QoQ but down 12.5% YoY
Current quarter revenue forecast of $2.45 billion, essentially flat sequentially
Services revenue on track for ~8% YoY growth despite overall revenues tracking to an 8.6% YoY decline..


IPOs and Catalysts/Events, Global Equity Research Ltd

Arun George

IPOs and Catalysts/Events

Uncompromised, Independent, Conflict-Free Research

Global Equity Research Ltd

Global Equity Research was started in 2017 by a group of experienced research professionals. It was founded on a passionate belief in the importance and the need for uncompromised, independent, conflict-free research. We aim to provide differentiated and actionable primary and bottom up fundamental research.

Equity Capital Markets

Kokusai Electric  / Equity Capital Markets

<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/kokusai-electric-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:40152:1" rel="noopener">Kokusai Electric (6525 JP)</a> priced its IPO at JPY1,840 per share to raise secondary proceeds of US$723 million. The shares will start trading on 25 October.</li>
<li>We previously discussed the IPO in <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/kokusai-electric-ipo-the-bull-case" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:113787" rel="noopener">Kokusai Electric IPO: The Bull Case</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/kokusai-electric-ipo-the-bear-case" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:114152" rel="noopener">Kokusai Electric IPO: The Bear Case</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/kokusai-electric-ipo-lower-price-range-is-reasonable" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:114886" rel="noopener">Kokusai Electric IPO: Lower Price Range Is Reasonable</a>.</li>
<li>The peers have modestly derated since the lowered IPO price range was announced on 10 October. However, the IPO price remains attractive. Our DCF valuation is JPY2,058. </li>
</ul>



Kokusai Electric (6525 JP) priced its IPO at JPY1,840 per share to raise secondary proceeds of US$723 million. The shares will start trading on 25 October.
We previously discussed the IPO in Kokusai Electric IPO: The Bull Case, Kokusai Electric IPO: The Bear Case and Kokusai Electric IPO: Lower Price Range Is Reasonable.
The peers have modestly derated since the lowered IPO price range was announced on 10 October. However, the IPO price remains attractive. Our DCF valuation is JPY2,058. 


<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/kokusai-electric-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:40152:1" rel="noopener">Kokusai Electric (6525 JP)</a> has trimmed its IPO price from JPY1,890 to JPY1,830-1,840 per share to raise up to US$727 million. The IPO price will be determined on 16 October.</li>
<li>We previously discussed the IPO in <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/kokusai-electric-ipo-the-bull-case" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:113787" rel="noopener">Kokusai Electric IPO: The Bull Case</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/kokusai-electric-ipo-the-bear-case" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:114152" rel="noopener">Kokusai Electric IPO: The Bear Case</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/kokusai-electric-ipo-valuation-insights" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:114376" rel="noopener">Kokusai Electric IPO: Valuation Insights</a>. </li>
<li>Our base-case DCF valuation is JPY2,058 per share. Peers have modestly re-rated, and a lower IPO price range helps increase the IPO's attractiveness.</li>
</ul>



Kokusai Electric (6525 JP) has trimmed its IPO price from JPY1,890 to JPY1,830-1,840 per share to raise up to US$727 million. The IPO price will be determined on 16 October.
We previously discussed the IPO in Kokusai Electric IPO: The Bull Case, Kokusai Electric IPO: The Bear Case and Kokusai Electric IPO: Valuation Insights. 
Our base-case DCF valuation is JPY2,058 per share. Peers have modestly re-rated, and a lower IPO price range helps increase the IPO's attractiveness.


Kokusai Electric IPO: Lower Price Range Is Reasonable

Japan

Lasertec Corporation develops, designs, manufactures and markets photomask inspection systems to make semiconductor devices, confocal scanning laser microscopes and liquid crystal display (LCD) inspection systems.

DISCO CORPORATION manufactures abrasive and precision industrial machinery for cutting and grinding purposes.  The Company's products are applied in the semiconductor, electronics, and construction industries to produce consumer goods such as personal computers, digital cameras, video game systems, and Digital Video Disc (DVD) players.

Renesas Electronics Corporation researches, develops, designs and manufactures electronic components such as semiconductors and integrated devices.

ADVANTEST CORPORATION produces semiconductor testing devices and electronic measuring instruments.  The Company's products include large-scale integration (LSI) test systems, memory test systems, dynamic test handlers, network analyzers, electronic meters, optical testing devices, and signal sources.

SUMCO Corporation manufactures silicon wafers for the semiconductor industry. The Company produces silicon wafers used to produce solar batteries as well as ultra-high purity quartz used to produce vessels for silicon manufacturing process. SUMCO markets its products worldwide.

ROHM COMPANY LIMITED manufactures custom linear integrated circuits and semiconductor devices for use primarily in consumer electronics.  The Company has plants and sales offices worldwide.  Rohm's subsidiaries include Wako Electric and Apollo Electronics.

SCREEN Holdings Co Ltd.  manufactures and sell semiconductors, FPD devices, commercial printing and printed circuit boards(PCB). The company also provides additional services for its products.

RORZE CORPORATION manufactures printed circuit board conveyers and wafer handlers for semiconductor manufacturing.  The Company also produces sorters and vacuum chamber robots, as well as controllers and stepping motor drivers used in various automation systems.  Rorze provides parts replacement and repair services for its products.

TOKYO SEIMITSU CO., LTD. manufactures and sells semiconductor manufacturing equipment and measuring instruments.  The Company produces wafer probing machines, wafer dicing machines, electron beam lithography systems, wafer inspection systems, and chemical mechanical planarizers (CMP) systems.

ULVAC, Inc. manufactures vacuum devices for industries such as semiconductor, electronics, chemical, pharmaceutical and food.  The Company's products include pumps, valves, gas analyzers, leak detectors, and surface profile measurement.

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.

MediaTek Inc. is a fabless semiconductor company for wireless communications and digital multimedia solutions. The company provides SOC system solutions for wireless communications, high-definition TV, optical storage, DVD and Blu-ray products.

KLA-Tencor Corporation manufactures yield management and process monitoring systems for the semiconductor industry.  The Company's systems are used to analyze product and process quality at critical steps in the manufacture of circuits and provide feedback so that fabrication problems can be identified. KLA-Tencor operates sales, service, and application centers worldwide.

Lam Research Corporation manufactures, markets, and services semiconductor processing equipment used in the making of integrated circuits.  The Company's products are used to deposit special films on a silicon wafer and etch away portions of various films to create a circuit design.  Lam sells its products around the world.

Monolithic Power Systems Inc specializes in high-performance, integrated power solutions. The Company provides small, highly energy efficient, easy-to-use power solutions for systems found in industrial applications, telecom infrastructures, cloud computing, automotive, and consumer applications.

ON Semiconductor Corporation supplies analog, standard logic, and discrete semiconductors for data and power management. The Company's products include integrated circuits, and analog ICs. ON also offers discrete semiconductors in a variety of surface mount and standard packages.

Skyworks Solutions, Inc., a wireless semiconductor company, designs and manufactures radio frequency and complete semiconductor system solutions for mobile communications applications.  The Company provides front-end modules, radio frequency subsystems, and system solutions to wireless handset and infrastructure customers worldwide.

United Microelectronics Corporation designs, manufactures, and markets integrated circuits (ICs) and related electronic products.  The Company's main products are consumer electronic ICs, memory ICs, personal computer peripheral ICs, and communication ICs.

Microchip Technology Incorporated designs, manufactures, and markets microcontrollers, related mixed-signal and memory products, and application development systems for high-volume embedded control applications. The Company also designs, develops, and markets linear/mixed-signal, power management, and thermal management products.

NXP Semiconductors NV operates as a global semiconductor company. The Company designs semiconductors and software for mobile communications, consumer electronics, security applications, in-car entertainment, and networking.  NXP offers its products to the automotive, identification, wireless infrastructure, lighting, mobile, and computing applications.

Tokyo Electron Limited manufactures and sells industrial electronics products, such as semiconductor manufacturing machines, computer system, and electronic components.  The Company products are sold in US, Taiwan, and others as well as in Japan.

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Tokyo Electron (8035 JP)

Takeaways After Global Semi Equipment Model Updated and Our View on 2024/2025

Takeaways After Global Semi Equipment Model Updated and Our View on 2024/2025; We are providing six takeaways and sales growth estimates for 2024-2026

Andrew Lu

Taiwan Tech Weekly: Positive Signs for Memory, PC, Smartphones; Key Autos & Display Color This Week

Last week global heavyweights AMD, Samsung, and Qualcomm delivered good news, including for the Memory, PC, and Smartphone industries. Taiwan...

Vincent Fernando, CFA

KLAC. Bouncing Along The Bottom

Q323 revenue $2.40 billion, +2% QoQ but -12.5% YoY. Q423 forecast of $2.45 billion. Services revenue on track for ~8% YoY growth despite overall...

William Keating

Kokusai Electric IPO: Trading Debut

The peers have modestly derated since the lowered IPO price range was announced on 10 October. However, the IPO price remains attractive. Our DCF...

Arun George

Kokusai Electric IPO: Lower Price Range Is Reasonable

Kokusai has priced its IPO at the top of its IPO price range of JPY1,830-1,840 per share to raise US$724.4 million. The international offering was...

Arun George

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