Material analysis firm Msscorps Co (汎銓科技) yesterday said that silicon photonics chip analysis and testing is expected to account for more than 15 percent of the company’s revenue next year, compared with 10 percent this year.
The company helps customers analyze silicon photonics materials and conducts material and failure analyses at its facilities at Tai Yuen Hi-Tech Industrial Park (台元科技園區) in Hsinchu County’s Jhubei City (竹北).
Its major customers include Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電) and Nvidia Corp.
Photo: Lisa Wang, Taipei Times
“Silicon photonics might be a new term for most companies, but it is no stranger to Msscorps,” company chairman Gino Leou (柳紀綸) told a news conference in Taipei, adding that Msscorps started to work with major customers four years ago to develop silicon photonics-related technologies.
The company expects the revenue contribution from the silicon photonics business to increase gradually before customers ramp up volume production significantly in 2026, he said.
Msscorps also collaborated with customers in developing analysis methods used in atomic chip manufacturing technology three years ago, the company said.
ASML Holdings NV adopted the company’s material analysis of photo resistance in its new high-numerical aperture (NA) extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) tools early this year, Leou said.
The first high-NA EUV machine is expected to arrive in Taiwan next month, he said.
To cope with customer demand for material and failure analyses for advanced technologies, Msscorps purchased NT$1.5 billion (US$46.74 million) of advanced equipment and hired 120 workers, adding to its existing 500 employees, Leou said.
Heavy capital expenditure weighs on the company’s profitability this year, given higher depreciation and operating costs, he said.
“The company expects to report a lackluster bottom line this year, before a pickup next year, followed by even stronger performance after that,” Leou said. “But annual revenue growth would be about 10 percent.”
The company reported NT$40.74 million in profit for last quarter after posting losses of NT$9.56 million in the first quarter.
Revenue in the first eight months of the year rose 4 percent year-on-year to NT$1.3 billion.
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