Technology / Semiconductor / Internet Research

Nicolas Baratte

Equity Bottom-Up

Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC) / Equity Bottom-Up

Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC)

<ul>
<li>Chinese Foundries (HuaHong, SMIC) have outgrown ex-China (GlobalFoundries, UMC, Vanguard) very significantly. Reacting to US sanctions, Chinese Chip Designers have shifted to domestic Foundries. China / ex-China supply-chains have decoupled.</li>
<li>End-Demand diverged up to 2Q24. Chinese Foundries were mentioning end-demand recovering, customers restocking, tight capacity. Ex-China Foundries mentioning the opposite: weak end-demand, customers destocking, low utilization. </li>
<li>Change of direction in 3Q24. Chinese Foundries become cautious, we see an obvious inventory problem on overblown end-demand growth expectations. Ex-China end-demand is stabilizing, destocking coming to an end.</li>
</ul>


Chinese Foundries (HuaHong, SMIC) have outgrown ex-China (GlobalFoundries, UMC, Vanguard) very significantly. Reacting to US sanctions, Chinese Chip Designers have shifted to domestic Foundries. China / ex-China supply-chains have decoupled.
End-Demand diverged up to 2Q24. Chinese Foundries were mentioning end-demand recovering, customers restocking, tight capacity. Ex-China Foundries mentioning the opposite: weak end-demand, customers destocking, low utilization. 
Change of direction in 3Q24. Chinese Foundries become cautious, we see an obvious inventory problem on overblown end-demand growth expectations. Ex-China end-demand is stabilizing, destocking coming to an end.


Foundries. China (Hua Hong, SMIC) Has Outperformed but on Poor Margins & Inventory Risk.

<ul>
<li>If we care about PMI, we have to care about Automotive and Industrial Semiconductor. Cautiousness about high inventories and slowing end-demand slowly emerged in 1H24. 4Q guidance is a firework.</li>
<li>Renesas: 1Q24 “the Q1 bottom has not changed”. 2Q24 “more cautious outlook”. 3Q “we need to step on the brakes more. End demand, more than expected, became weaker”.</li>
<li>Do we buy stocks when valuations are low or when downward revisions are over? These stocks are cheap, but Consensus will continue cutting till 2Q25, in our view.</li>
</ul>


If we care about PMI, we have to care about Automotive and Industrial Semiconductor. Cautiousness about high inventories and slowing end-demand slowly emerged in 1H24. 4Q guidance is a firework.
Renesas: 1Q24 “the Q1 bottom has not changed”. 2Q24 “more cautious outlook”. 3Q “we need to step on the brakes more. End demand, more than expected, became weaker”.
Do we buy stocks when valuations are low or when downward revisions are over? These stocks are cheap, but Consensus will continue cutting till 2Q25, in our view.


NXP, Renesas, STMicro: Only Bad News. Auto & Industrial Semi Firms Give Poor Signals on End-Demand.

<ul>
<li>3Q24 a bit better. 4Q guidance inline. The negative surprise is a 1Q25 double warning: revenue decline worse than normal seasonality and "manufacturing activity will not follow the usual profile”.</li>
<li>The Automotive outlook is very poor: decline in car production, decline in EV, inventories still high, increase in pricing pressure. Industrials still in inventory correction.  </li>
<li>Consensus will obviously revise lower for 1H25. The stock is trading at 12.5x 2025 estimates of yesterday, maybe 14-15x tomorrow's 2025 forecasts. Let's wait for that to happen. </li>
</ul>


3Q24 a bit better. 4Q guidance inline. The negative surprise is a 1Q25 double warning: revenue decline worse than normal seasonality and "manufacturing activity will not follow the usual profile”.
The Automotive outlook is very poor: decline in car production, decline in EV, inventories still high, increase in pricing pressure. Industrials still in inventory correction.  
Consensus will obviously revise lower for 1H25. The stock is trading at 12.5x 2025 estimates of yesterday, maybe 14-15x tomorrow's 2025 forecasts. Let's wait for that to happen. 


STMicro (STM): Can It Get Any Worse? Yes, It Will in 1Q25. Let's Wait for that Reset.

TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing) / Equity Bottom-Up

TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing)

<ul>
<li>The price of ASML EUV machine is increasing as thruput (wafer / hour) is increasing. </li>
<li>TSMC 3nm is fully booked in 2025. Here is the list of clients / chips. </li>
<li>SiC and MCU over-investments in China? Very likely. China is limiting SiC investments. </li>
</ul>


The price of ASML EUV machine is increasing as thruput (wafer / hour) is increasing. 
TSMC 3nm is fully booked in 2025. Here is the list of clients / chips. 
SiC and MCU over-investments in China? Very likely. China is limiting SiC investments. 


Tech News This Week. ASML, TSMC, Intel, SiC Capacity, MCU in China

Equity Long-Short, Semiconductors, Fabricated Knowledge

Douglas O'Laughlin

Equity Long-Short, Semiconductors

Fabricated Knowledge

Learn more about the world's most important manufactured product. Meaningful insight, timely analysis, and an occasional investment idea.

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

<ul><li><p>This is my quarterly piece, where I round up all of my favorite ideas (more explicitly) and explain some semiconductor jargon. This is a meta piece of content.</p></li><li>First and foremost, I’ll start with performance. SMH returned 14% this quarter, among the best quarters in history for the semiconductor universe (again).</li><li>This quarter's leader was AOSL, who is rumored to have won a socket at Nvidia.</li></ul>

This is my quarterly piece, where I round up all of my favorite ideas (more explicitly) and explain some semiconductor jargon. This is a meta piece of content.First and foremost, I’ll start with performance. SMH returned 14% this quarter, among the best quarters in history for the semiconductor universe (again).This quarter's leader was AOSL, who is rumored to have won a socket at Nvidia.

Fabricated Knowledge Q2 2024 Quarterly Review

Singapore

STMicroelectronics N.V. designs, develops, manufactures, and markets semiconductor integrated circuits and discrete devices. The Company's products are used in the telecommunications, consumer electronics, automotive, computer, and industrial sectors. Geographically, customers are located in North America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific region.

Price Gauge
52-week Range	0.00 - 0.00
Market Cap (USDm)	0.00
P/E	0.00
Dividend (Yield)	0.00

STMicroelectronics NV (STM US)

Foundries. China (Hua Hong, SMIC) Has Outperformed but on Poor Margins & Inventory Risk.

Chinese foundries have overgrown ex-China counterparts, but now face inventory issues. Ex-China foundries are stabilizing, destocking coming to an...

Nicolas Baratte

NXP, Renesas, STMicro: Only Bad News. Auto & Industrial Semi Firms Give Poor Signals on End-Demand.

Cautious outlook for Auto and Industrial Semiconductor due to high inventories and slowing end-demand. NXP, Renesas and STMicro stocks look cheap...

Nicolas Baratte

STMicro (STM): Can It Get Any Worse? Yes, It Will in 1Q25. Let's Wait for that Reset.

Negative 1Q25 double warning for company, with poor automotive outlook and consensus likely to revise lower for 1H25. Stock trading at 12.5x 2025...

Nicolas Baratte

Tech News This Week. ASML, TSMC, Intel, SiC Capacity, MCU in China

ASML price increase in 2025. TSMC 3nm Order Surge Expected in 2025. Intel's Next-Gen Panther Lake CPUs Handed to Lenovo. China restrictions on SiC...

Nicolas Baratte

Fabricated Knowledge Q2 2024 Quarterly Review

Here's everything that happened this quarter, and some thoughts and ideas. This is my quarterly piece, where I round up all of my favorite ideas...

Fabricated Knowledge

Price Gauge

52-week Range

Market Cap (USDm)

P/E

Dividend (Yield)

Foundries. China (Hua Hong, SMIC) Has Outperformed but on Poor Margins & Inventory Risk.

​Chinese foundries have overgrown ex-China counterparts, but now face inventory issues. Ex-China foundries are stabilizing, destocking coming to an...

Nicolas Baratte

NXP, Renesas, STMicro: Only Bad News. Auto & Industrial Semi Firms Give Poor Signals on End-Demand.

​Cautious outlook for Auto and Industrial Semiconductor due to high inventories and slowing end-demand. NXP, Renesas and STMicro stocks look cheap...

Nicolas Baratte

STMicro (STM): Can It Get Any Worse? Yes, It Will in 1Q25. Let's Wait for that Reset.

​Negative 1Q25 double warning for company, with poor automotive outlook and consensus likely to revise lower for 1H25. Stock trading at 12.5x 2025...

Nicolas Baratte

Tech News This Week. ASML, TSMC, Intel, SiC Capacity, MCU in China

ASML price increase in 2025. TSMC 3nm Order Surge Expected in 2025. Intel's Next-Gen Panther Lake CPUs Handed to Lenovo. China restrictions on SiC...

Nicolas Baratte

Fabricated Knowledge Q2 2024 Quarterly Review

Here's everything that happened this quarter, and some thoughts and ideas. This is my quarterly piece, where I round up all of my favorite ideas...

Fabricated Knowledge

Chinese foundries have overgrown ex-China counterparts, but now face inventory issues. Ex-China foundries are stabilizing, destocking coming to an...

Cautious outlook for Auto and Industrial Semiconductor due to high inventories and slowing end-demand. NXP, Renesas and STMicro stocks look cheap...

Negative 1Q25 double warning for company, with poor automotive outlook and consensus likely to revise lower for 1H25. Stock trading at 12.5x 2025...