Report

PSA Technology / Semiconductors: Micron and the AI Bubble

Micron’s FY24 results are a reminder that the chip industry is still doing well. Pelham Smithers considers what is reflected in the shares price of the wafer fab equipment makers and highlights two Japanese plays that offer undemanding valuations.
Underlyings
123FAHRSCHULE SE

1Life Healthcare

1Life Healthcare operates a membership-based primary care platform. The company develops a healthcare membership model based on direct consumer enrollment, as well as employer sponsorship. The company also provides medical services in-office and virtually. As of September 30, 2019, the company had approximately 397,000 members in 9 markets in the United States; 6,000 enterprise clients; and health network partnerships. The company serves consumers, employers, providers, and health networks under the One Medical brand name.

Advanced Micro Devices Inc.

Advanced Micro Devices is a semiconductor company. The company primarily provides x86 microprocessors, as standalone devices or as incorporated into an accelerated processing unit, chipsets, graphics processing units (GPUs), data center and personnel GPUs, and development services; server and embedded processors, semi-custom System-on-Chip products, development services and technology for game consoles. The company also licenses portions of its intellectual property portfolio. The company's segments are: Computing and Graphics, which consists of desktop, notebooks, commercial, and chipsets products; and Enterprise, Embedded and Semi-Custom, which includes server processors, and embedded P\processors products.

Advantest Corp.

Advantest and its consolidated subsidiaries manufacture and sell semiconductor and component test system products and mechatronics-related products such as test handlers and device interfaces. Co. also engages in research and development activities and provides maintenance and support services associated with these products. Co.'s principal business segments are semiconductor and component test system; mechatronics system; and services, support and others. Product lines include test systems for memory semiconductors and non-memory semiconductors; test handlers, mechatronic-applied products, and for handling semiconductor devices.

Apple Inc.

Apple designs, manufactures and markets smartphones, personal computers, tablets, wearables and accessories, and sells a variety of related services. The company's products include: iPhone; Mac; iPad; and wearables, home and accessories, which includes AirPods?, Apple TV?, Apple Watch?, Beats? products, HomePod?, iPod touch? and other Apple-branded and third-party accessories. The company's services include: digital content stores and streaming services; AppleCare, which includes AppleCare + (AC+) and the AppleCare Protection Plan; iCloud, which is the company's cloud service; licensing; and other services, which include Apple Arcade?, Apple Card?, Apple News+, and Apple Pay, a cashless payment service.

Disco Corporation

DISCO and its affiliates are mainly engaged in the manufacture, sale and maintenance of precision cutting, grinding and polishing machines. Co. is also engaged in the manufacture and sale of precision diamond abrasive tools, and disassembly and recycling of precision cutting, grinding and polishing machines. Co.'s principal precision machines are dicing and cutting saws, laser saws, grinders, polishers, wafer mounters, die separators, surface planers, water jet saws, and products for new processes. Co.'s principal precision processing tools are dicing blades, grinding wheels, and dry polishing wheels.

Lasertec Corp.

Lasertec is mainly engaged in the development, manufacture, and sale of semiconductor-related products and other products, as well as the provision of services for its products. Co.'s principal products include systems related to defect inspection/measurement of mask, mask blanks and wafer; systems related to defect inspection of large size photomask and PV cell conversion efficiency distribution measurement system; and systems related to microscope based on confocal optics. Along with its subsidiaries, Co. offers its products and services in Japan as well as in North America, Europe, and Asia regions.

Micron Technology Inc.

Micron Technology provides memory and storage solutions. The company's portfolio of memory and storage technologies include Dynamic Random Access Memory, Not And, 3D XPoint? memory, and Not Or. The company's segments are: Compute and Networking Business, which includes memory products sold into client, cloud server, enterprise, graphics, and networking markets; Mobile Business, which includes memory products sold into smartphone and other mobile-device markets; Storage Business, which includes Solid-State Drives and component-level solutions sold into enterprise and cloud, client, and consumer storage markets; and Embedded Business, which includes memory and storage products.

NVIDIA Corporation

NVIDIA engages in graphics processing unit (GPU)-based visual computing and accelerated computing platforms. The company has two segments, GPU and Tegra Processor, which are based on a single underlying architecture. The company's GPU product brands are aimed at markets including GeForce for gamers; Quadro for designers; Tesla and DGX for artificial intelligence data scientists and big data researchers; and GRID for cloud-based visual computing users. The company's Tegra brand integrates an entire computer onto a single chip, and incorporates GPUs and multi-core CPUs to drive supercomputing for autonomous robots, drones, and cars, as well as for game consoles and mobile gaming and entertainment devices.

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.

Samsung Electronics is engaged in the manufacture and sale of electronic goods, communication products, semiconductors, telecommunication equipment, home appliances and other similar products. Co.'s products are mobile phones, MP3 Players, DVD players, video equipment, including Blu-Ray, TVs and VCRs; household appliances, including microwave ovens, refrigerators, home air conditioners, washing machines, ultrasonic humidifiers, dehumidifiers, vacuum cleaners and other small electrical goods; audio equipment, including semiconductors, information systems, and computers; miscellaneous parts; other products, including automatic vending machines, refrigerated display cases and electric tools.

SCREEN Holdings Co. Ltd

Screen Holdings is a holding company. Co., through its subsidiaries and associated companies, is engaged in the manufacture and sale of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, printing-related equipment, printed-circuit board-related equipment and flat panel displays ("FPDs") manufacturing equipment. Co.'s principal products include single wafer cleaner, wet station, scrubber and laser annealer, full-color variable printing system, thermal plate recorder, direct imaging system, automatic optical inspection system, automatic final visual inspection system, coater/developer, LIA plasma CVD/sputter equipment, coater/dryer, coater/developer for LTPS and others.

SK hynix Inc

SK hynix is engaged in the manufacture and sale of semiconductors and related devices. Co.'s memory semiconductors include dynamic random access memory ("DRAM") modules, multi-chip products (MCPs) and NAND flash memory semiconductors. Co.'s memory semiconductors are used for desktops, notebooks, smartphones, tablets, game consoles, MP3, PMP, USB drive, televisions, and digital cameras. Co. also develops non-memory semiconductors such as complementary metal oxide semiconductor image sensors used in digital imaging devices.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. Sponsored ADR

Tokyo Electron Ltd.

Tokyo Electron is a supplier of semiconductor production equipment ("SPE") and flat panel display ("FPD") selling through global network that spans Japan, the U.S., Europe and Asia. Co.'s principal products are coater/developers, plasma etch systems, thermal processing systems, single wafer deposition systems, cleaning systems (auto wet station, single wafer cleaning system, pre-clean system and scrubber system), wafer prober, FPD coater/developers and FPD plasma etch/ash systems. In addition, Co., through its subsidiaries, is engaged in the provision of transportation services, insurance services, as well as the support services for Co.'s photovoltaic cell ("PV") production equipment.

ULVAC Inc.

ULVAC is engaged in the manufacture and sale of vacuum systems and equipment. The Vacuum Machinery segment provides sputtering systems, CVD systems, vacuum evaporation systems, etching systems, annealing systems, ion implantation systems, vacuum furnaces and vapor deposition polymerization systems for semiconductor processing, LED devices, photovoltaics, optic films, LCD displays, magnetic sensors, and electronic materials; and vacuum components including vacuum pumps, gauges, leak detectors, vacuum valves, and vacuum parts. The Vacuum Application segment provides sputtering target materials, evaporation deposition materials, and titanium and tantalum processing products.

WOLFSPEED INC

Provider
Pelham Smithers Associates Ltd
Pelham Smithers Associates Ltd

Founded in 2009, Pelham Smithers Associates (PSA) provides market intelligence on Asian technology, focusing in particular on Japan. The industries covered by our team of specialists are: consumer electronics, telecomms, pharmaceuticals, internet, electronic parts and materials, automotive technology, retail and capital goods. 

PSA produces both company and sector reports. The focus of PSA’s research is to identify winners and losers as new technologies impact the top and bottom lines of corporations. Critical to our research is the clear explanation of how these new technologies work and how they impact companies and industries. 

The founding partners have worked closely together for twenty years and the team has more than doubled in size since 2012. 

Analysts
Pelham Smithers

Other Reports on these Companies
Other Reports from Pelham Smithers Associates Ltd

ResearchPool Subscriptions

Get the most out of your insights

Get in touch