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GlobalWafers held its board meeting to approve its financial statements for the third quarter ended on September 30, 2023 with the consolidated revenue reached NT$17.4 billion with -2.9% QoQ and -3.7% YoY; gross profit of NT$6.4 billion with -5.7% QoQ and -19.4% YoY, gross profit margin of 36.6% with -1.1% QoQ and -7.1YoY; operating income of NT$4.8 billion with -7.4% QoQ, -23.8% YoY, operating income margin of 27.8% with -1.3% QoQ and-7.3% YoY; net profit of NT$5.5 billion with 15.7% QoQ and 8.4% YoY.
Q323 revenue was impacted by customers’ inventory adjustments, and gross profit decreased slightly compared with Q223 mainly due to depreciation. Yet, along with the rise in the share price of Siltronic AG held by GlobalWafers and other operation performance, Q323 net profit margin of 31.9%, still hit the record high! Additionally, the NT$12.73 EPS recorded its highest performance over the same period!
The consolidated revenue for the first three quarters in 2023 reached NT$53.9 billion with 3.8% YoY; gross profit of NT$20.7 billion with -8.1% YoY, gross profit margin of 38.3% with -5.0% YoY; operating income of NT$16.1 billion with -13.3% YoY, operating income margin of 29.9% with -6.0% YoY; net profit of NT$15.3 billion, with 60.1% YoY, net profit margin of 28.4% with 10.0% YoY; EPS of NT$35.22 which was close to the full-year EPS of 2022 ( NT$35.31). For the first three quarters in 2023, GlobalWafers set new highest record in revenue, net profit margin and EPS!
The board meeting also approved the company to issue unsecured corporate bonds, with total amount not exceeding NT$14 billion. This plan aims to raise medium and long-term capitals to fund various initiatives, including replenish the working capital, support green investment plans, and purchase machine and equipment, etc.
While alleviated inflation catalyzed by global monetary policy, there are signs of recovery in the semiconductor industry driven by stabilized demand, balanced inventories, and growth in the automotive and industrial sectors. Nevertheless, based on industry cycle experience, since the semiconductor wafers sector is positioned in the upstream of the supply chain, its recovery is still a few months behind the end market.
The ongoing war, energy crises, and inflation concerns are also casting a shadow over the macro environment. Looking forward to 2024, underpinned by customers’ inventory reabsorption, the emergence of AI and automation, and the expansion of new facilities, an upturn is likely to happen barring any uncertainties such as geopolitics.
Downturn in the memory market led to production cuts and an increase in average selling prices (ASPs), alongside the adjustment in product mix, bringing equilibrium to the global memory market. Furthermore, technological advancements in compound semiconductors are revitalizing the demand and investment in this sector, further enhancing market penetration.
As a projected rebound in the semiconductor equipment market in 2024, the increase in downstream equipment investments is expected to stimulate demands for upstream materials. Standing as a reliable provider of a comprehensive product portfolio of high-quality wafers, GlobalWafers will continue to stably supply our customers’ needs. With a strong focus on research and development, GlobalWafers further extends its dedication to providing a full range of SiC and GaN products to meet diverse requirements.
Original – GlobalWafers
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“The 31st International Optoelectronics Exposition (OPTO Taiwan)”, organized by Photonics Industry & Technology Development Association, is taking place in Taipei Nangang Exhibition Hall 1 from October 25th to 27th, for a three-day technological extravaganza. As a leading company in semiconductor technology, GlobalWafers unveils its latest achievements in compound semiconductors.
At this year’s exposition, GlobalWafers features 8”N type SiC crystal growth technology, Thinning technology of 6”and 8”SiC wafers, and high-value niche products in the GaN epitaxy field, demonstrating its technical prowess honed over many years in the compound semiconductor industry. SiC crystal growth presents challenges due to the need for growth in extremely high-temperature sealed environments, with factors like hot zone design and crucible materials in crystal growth furnace adding the complexity to equipment and operations.
GlobalWafers independently designs and develops 8”SiC-specific Physical Vapor Transport Method Grower (PVT) to further reduce crystal growth costs while achieving higher material quality control. Through outstanding technical control and production efficiency, as well as continuous research and development, GlobalWafers overcomes the technical challenges of SiC crystal growth, successfully moving forward to 8 inches, providing customers with high-quality, superior-performance SiC materials.
The high hardness and brittleness of SiC make subsequent wafering process extremely challenging. Leveraging its edge in wafer processing, GlobalWafers has successfully developed SiC ultra-thin thinning technology, showcasing 6” 90µm and 8”350µm ultra-thin polished SiC wafers at the exhibition. Ultra-thin SiC wafers offer advantages in lightweighting, heat dissipation, thermal conductivity, high-frequency operation, component miniaturization, and material costs, making them an ideal choice for high-performance semiconductor devices.
GlobalWafers’ SiC wafers include 4”~ 6” semi-insulating wafers and 6”~ 8”conductive SiC wafers, offering a comprehensive range of products to cater for diverse customer needs and expand into various fields of application.
Heteroepitaxy of GaN poses various technical challenges, such as lattice mismatch, stress, and defects. GlobalWafers focuses on research and development, launching a full range of GaN heteroepitaxy products, including silicon, SiC and sapphire substrates. A variety of substrate selections can meet different requirements and expand terminal applications in an all-round way.
With its wealth of semiconductor substrate technology and years of industry experience, GlobalWafers has been able to give full play to our strengths and provide more advanced and high-efficiency solutions for the rapidly growing electric vehicle market.
Original – GlobalWafers
