CAITONG SECURITIES·2026-02-02 10:52Investment Rating - The report maintains a "Positive" investment rating for the semiconductor industry [1]. Core Insights - The demand for AI-related chips is driving significant growth in the wafer foundry sector, with TSMC's revenue reaching NT$1.05 trillion in Q4 2025, a 20.45% year-on-year increase, marking a historical high for a single quarter [6][8]. - The global advanced process capacity is expected to accelerate, with SEMI predicting that the capacity for 7nm and below advanced logic processes will grow from approximately 850,000 wafers per month in 2024 to 1.4 million wafers per month by 2028 [6][12]. - Domestic companies in China need to accelerate their technological upgrades and capacity expansions to catch up with global leaders like TSMC and Samsung, as their market share in advanced processes remains significantly low [6][11]. - The import of semiconductor manufacturing equipment in China is projected to reach a historical high of CNY 360.28 billion in 2025, indicating a strong signal for accelerated capacity expansion in advanced processes [12][13]. - The report suggests focusing on semiconductor companies such as Northern Huachuang, Zhongwei Company, Jiangfeng Electronics, and others for investment opportunities [6]. Summary by Sections 1. Global Advanced Process Wafer Foundry Development - AI computing chip demand is propelling the wafer foundry industry to new heights, with TSMC's revenue growth and a projected global wafer foundry market size increase from USD 155.6 billion in 2024 to USD 268.3 billion by 2032 [6][8]. - The complexity and larger size of AI GPU chips require more advanced process capacity, leading to a higher demand for wafer foundry services [8][9]. 2. Domestic Market in China - China's wafer foundry industry has seen rapid expansion in mature processes, but advanced process capacity and technology development face significant challenges due to export restrictions from Western countries [9][11]. - In 2021, China's share in the global advanced process wafer foundry market was only 5%, highlighting the need for further development [11]. 3. Semiconductor Equipment Imports - The import of semiconductor equipment in China is expected to reach CNY 360.28 billion in 2025, with significant investments in critical lithography equipment [12][13]. - ASML's revenue from lithography systems is projected to be EUR 24.474 billion in 2025, with 33% of that coming from the Chinese market, indicating strong demand for advanced manufacturing equipment [12][13].