[News] Wafer Foundry Market Shows Signs of Recovery

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Recently, wafer foundry market has seen various dynamics from related manufacturers.

TSMC is reportedly planning to build its third plant in Japan, while Samsung has delayed the construction of its Pyeongtaek P4/P5 chip plants to 2026, prioritizing the Texas Taylor wafer plant instead.

Meanwhile, SMIC, Huahong Group, and Nexchip have all released their semi-annual reports, showing steady improvements in capacity utilization rates. SMIC expects its 12-inch monthly capacity to increase by around 60,000 wafers in late 2024 compared to the end of last year.

Huahong is accelerating the construction of its new 12-inch production line in Wuxi, which is expected to start production in the first quarter of next year.

According to a survey by TrendForce, strong demand for AI server has driven the total output value of the world’s top ten wafer foundries to increase by 9.6% quarter-on-quarter in the second quarter, reaching USD 32 billion.

TSMC, Samsung, SMIC, Huahong Group, and Nexchip ranked first, second, third, sixth, and tenth, respectively, among the world’s top ten wafer foundries.

• TSMC Plans to Build the Third Plant in Japan After 2030

J.W. Kuo, head of Taiwan’s economic department, recently stated in an interview that TSMC plans to build its third plant in Japan to produce advanced semiconductors, with the construction expected to commence after 2030.

TSMC’s first plant in Kumamoto, Japan, (Kumamoto P1) is expected to start mass production in 4Q24 (October-December), using 28/22nm and 16/12nm process technologies, with a monthly capacity of 55,000 wafers.

The second planned plant, also located in Kumamoto, is scheduled to commence construction at the end of 2024, with operations starting in late 2027, focusing on 6/7nm processes.

The combined monthly capacity of TSMC’s Kumamoto P1 and P2 is expected to exceed 100,000 wafers. TSMC Chairman C.C.Wei mentioned in June that after the first and second plants are operational, TSMC may consider building a third plant in Kumamoto if the local residents agree.

• Samsung Delays the Construction of Pyeongtaek P4/P5 Plants to 2026, Prioritizing Texas Taylor Plant

Per global media reports on September 2, Samsung has postponed the construction of the second and fourth phase production lines of the Pyeongtaek P4 and P5 plants to 2026. Samsung is currently focusing on building a wafer plant in Taylor, Texas.

It is reported that Samsung did not conduct the necessary financial review for the Pyeongtaek P5 plant by the end of July 2024, leading to delays in the construction plans for both P5 and P4 plants.

However, the first-phase production line of P4 plant, which produces NAND Flash, is expected to start production soon. The third-phase production line is currently under construction, with plans to install power equipment after the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The original plan for P4 plant was to first build a memory production line (Phase 1), then a wafer foundry line (Phase 2), followed by additional memory and wafer foundry lines (Phases 3 and 4) to complete P4 plant.

However, it is reported that the wafer foundry business at this production line failed to meet expectations, prompting Samsung to prioritize the construction of memory production lines.

The sources cited by DRAMExchange revealed that the product lineup for the P4 Phase 2 production line is expected to be finalized between January and February 2025.

The Taylor plant began construction in the first half of 2022 and is expected to put into operation in 2026. The project’s investment scale is approximately USD 17 billion, with wafer manufacturing originally planned for the 4nm node.

However, industry news from June 2024 indicates that Samsung has added 2nm advanced process technology to meet the demand driven by the AI wave.

In April 2024, Samsung signed an agreement with the U.S. Department of Commerce to receive USD 6.4 billion in subsidies under the CHIPS Act.

• SMIC’s Revenue Grows by 23.2% Year-on-Year

Recently, SMIC released its half-yearly financial results, showing that the company achieved a revenue of CNY 26.269 billion, a year-on-year increase of 23.2%.

The net profit attributable to the parent company was CNY 1.646 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 45.1%, and the net profit after deducting non-recurring gains and losses was CNY 1.288 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 27%.

In terms of capacity utilization, SMIC’s 8-inch utilization rate has rebounded. The company stated that its 12-inch capacity has been near full load in recent quarters, with additional effective capacity added in the first half of this year, and the new capacity has been rapidly put into production.

The company’s overall capacity utilization rate increased to 85%, up 4 percentage points from the previous quarter.

These financial results highlight two key indicators that send an important signal to the market. Although SMIC’s profits fell short of expectations, its revenue continued to rise, reflecting signs of recovery in downstream markets.

Beyond the recovery in revenue, the increase in capacity utilization is a major highlight of the report.

Data indicates that the main drivers of SMIC’s revenue turnaround were the smartphone and consumer electronics business, further demonstrating signs of recovery in the semiconductor market.

As to wafer revenue by size, demand for 8-inch wafers has rebounded, with the revenue share increasing to 26%, up 2 percentage points from the previous quarter, while the revenue share for 12-inch wafer is 74%.

Regarding capacity expansion, SMIC expects its 12-inch monthly capacity to increase by around 60,000 wafers by the end of this year compared to the end of last year. SMIC provided guidance for the third quarter, projecting a revenue growth of 13% to 15% quarter-on-quarter, with a gross margin between 18% and 20%.

• Huahong’s Capacity Utilization Rate Exceeded 100% in Q2

Huahong achieved operating income of around CNY 6.732 billion in the first half of the year, a year-on-year decrease of 23.88%. The net profit attributable to shareholders was CNY 265 million, a year-on-year decrease of 83.33%.

It expects third-quarter sales revenue of CNY 500 million to 520 million, with a gross margin between 10% and 12%.

In terms of capacity utilization, Huahong reported that the company’s 8-inch capacity utilization rate surpassed 100% in the second quarter, with the 12-inch capacity utilization rate closed to full capacity.

The overall capacity utilization rate was 97.9%, a significant improvement from 91.7% in the first quarter, but still below the 102.7% capacity utilization rate in the second quarter of last year, indicating that Huahong has not yet returned to its peak level.

On product mix, Huahong’s major revenue contributors are discrete device and embedded non-volatile memory. In the second quarter of this year, the combined revenue share of these two segments was 60.5%.

Regarding production, the company is accelerating the construction of its new 12-inch production line in Wuxi.

In August, Huahong announced that the first phase of Wuxi base currently has a capacity of 94,500 wafers per month, with nearly all process platforms steadily scaling up production.

The second phase of Wuxi, after about a year of construction, is now 80% of completion, with the first equipment installation scheduled for the end of August. The production line is expected to be completed by the end of the year, with capacity to be released starting in the first quarter of next year.

• Nexchip Turned Profitable Compared to the Same Period of Last Year

Nexchip achieved a revenue of CNY 4.398 billion, a year-on-year increase of 48.09%, and a net profit attributable to the parent company of CNY 187 million, turning losses into gains year on year. The company’s gross margin was 24.43%.

Nexchip mainly engages in 12-inch wafer foundry services, providing wafer foundry services for DDIC and other process platforms.

In 1H24, the revenue share from CIS has significantly increased, making it the company’s second-largest product segment, with CIS capacity running at full load.

The company’s current wafer foundry capacity is 115,000 wafers per month, and it plans to expand capacity by 30,000 to 50,000 wafers per month in 2024, focusing on 55nm and 40nm nodes, with a primary focus on advanced CIS.

From a quarter-on-quarter perspective, the semi-annual reports of the three major foundries, SMIC, Huahong, and Nexchip, indicate a gradual upturn in business performance and steady improvement in capacity utilization rate.

Industry sources cited by DRAMExchange suggested that this signals an accelerated speed of recovery in the semiconductor market, and the second half of the year may see more positive surprises.

Read more

• [News] TSMC to Build Third Fab in Japan? The Timing May Be Reportedly after 2030
• [News] Two Contrasting Trends Emerge in Wafer Foundry Industry

(Photo credit: TSMC)