Chunghwa Precision Test Technology Co (CHPT, 中華精測), a chip testing and wafer probing services provider, yesterday said it expects improvements in revenue and gross margin in the second half of this year and next year, thanks to strong testing demand for artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC) chips.
In addition, the company has the competitive edge in providing advanced testing services for AI graphics processing units (GPUs) and HPC chips, CHPT president Scott Huang (黃水可) said at the Semicon Taiwan trade show at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center.
“Artificial intelligence has created good business opportunities for us,” Huang said.
Photo: CNA
“The second half will be better than the first half and we anticipate a better year next year compared with this year,” he said.
The company in July said that its new probe card solutions, used in AI GPU testing, were under customers’ verification. It had started small volume shipments by testing high-bandwidth-memory chips and expected revenue contribution to emerge next year, the company said at the time.
Thanks to HPC and AI-related business, the company’s revenue last month surged 45.35 percent year-on-year to NT$302 million (US$9.38 million), the highest level in 20 months.
During the first eight months, revenue climbed 5.41 percent to NT$2 billion from a year earlier.
Gross margin last quarter rose to 52.4 percent as faster design flows and operational efficiency on the back of integrating AI technology in the company’s operations led to a reduction in costs, Huang said.
Gross margin is expected to rise to between 50 percent and 55 percent on average this year, a pickup from 48.26 percent last year, and the company’s goal is to keep its gross margin stable at 50 percent in the long term, he said.
CHPT recently received orders from a US customer, which was impressed by the Taoyuan-based company’s 3D imaging technology, Huang said.
The company uses the technology in the drilling process to improve precision, drilling depth and residual copper rate, achieving a 100 percent yield in back drilling, he said, adding that the company is a pioneer among the world’s wafer testing companies in adopting the technology.
Semiconductor shares in China surged yesterday after Reuters reported the US had ordered chipmaking giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) to halt shipments of advanced chips to Chinese customers, which investors believe could accelerate Beijing’s self-reliance efforts. TSMC yesterday started to suspend shipments of certain sophisticated chips to some Chinese clients after receiving a letter from the US Department of Commerce imposing export restrictions on those products, Reuters reported on Sunday, citing an unnamed source. The US imposed export restrictions on TSMC’s 7-nanometer or more advanced designs, Reuters reported. Investors figured that would encourage authorities to support China’s industry and bought shares
TECH WAR CONTINUES: The suspension of TSMC AI chips and GPUs would be a heavy blow to China’s chip designers and would affect its competitive edge Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s biggest contract chipmaker, is reportedly to halt supply of artificial intelligence (AI) chips and graphics processing units (GPUs) made on 7-nanometer or more advanced process technologies from next week in order to comply with US Department of Commerce rules. TSMC has sent e-mails to its Chinese AI customers, informing them about the suspension starting on Monday, Chinese online news outlet Ijiwei.com (愛集微) reported yesterday. The US Department of Commerce has not formally unveiled further semiconductor measures against China yet. “TSMC does not comment on market rumors. TSMC is a law-abiding company and we are
FLEXIBLE: Taiwan can develop its own ground station equipment, and has highly competitive manufacturers and suppliers with diversified production, the MOEA said The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) yesterday disputed reports that suppliers to US-based Space Exploration Technologies Corp (SpaceX) had been asked to move production out of Taiwan. Reuters had reported on Tuesday last week that Elon Musk-owned SpaceX had asked their manufacturers to produce outside of Taiwan given geopolitical risks and that at least one Taiwanese supplier had been pushed to relocate production to Vietnam. SpaceX’s requests place a renewed focus on the contentious relationship Musk has had with Taiwan, especially after he said last year that Taiwan is an “integral part” of China, sparking sharp criticism from Taiwanese authorities. The ministry said
US President Joe Biden’s administration is racing to complete CHIPS and Science Act agreements with companies such as Intel Corp and Samsung Electronics Co, aiming to shore up one of its signature initiatives before US president-elect Donald Trump enters the White House. The US Department of Commerce has allocated more than 90 percent of the US$39 billion in grants under the act, a landmark law enacted in 2022 designed to rebuild the domestic chip industry. However, the agency has only announced one binding agreement so far. The next two months would prove critical for more than 20 companies still in the process
RSS